Category Archives: cheap speech

“Deceptively Edited Video of Biden Proliferates on Social Media”

November 2, 2020, 4:41 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: A video of Joseph R. Biden Jr. deceptively edited to make it appear as though he were admitting to voter fraud was viewed more than 17 million times on social media platforms, according to Avaaz, a progressive human-rights nonprofit… Continue reading

“Misinformation Image on WeChat Attempts to Frighten Chinese Americans Out of Voting”

November 2, 2020, 4:15 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

ProPublica/KQED: At least two dozen groups on the Chinese-owned social media app WeChat have been circulating misinformation that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is “preparing to mobilize” the National Guard and “dispatch” the military to quell impending riots,… Continue reading

“False video of Joe Biden viewed 1 million times on Twitter”

November 1, 2020, 8:37 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

CNN: A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden making it appear the Democratic presidential nominee forgot what state he was in was viewed more than one million times on Twitter over the weekend.In the video, Biden addresses a crowd… Continue reading

“‘It’s getting really bad’: Fake threats trigger fear for Spanish-speaking Trump backers”

October 30, 2020, 11:46 amcheap speechRick Hasen

Miami Herald: In private messaging apps and social media, Spanish-speaking residents in South Florida have been exposed to a barrage of deceptive claims — a voter disinformation tactic that could last until Election Day.The latest example is an anonymous message… Continue reading

“The unseen machine pushing Trump’s social media megaphone into overdrive”

October 30, 2020, 7:07 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: President Trump launched into a tweetstorm in April, banging out nine retweets of the Centers for Disease Control’s account on the dangers of misusing disinfectant and other topics — two days after he himself had suggested that people could… Continue reading

“How a fake persona laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge”

October 29, 2020, 3:35 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NBC News: Nine month before a purported leak of files from Hunter Biden’s laptop, a fake “intelligence” document about him went viral on the right-wing internet, asserting an elaborate conspiracy theory involving former Vice President Joe Biden’s son and… Continue reading

“In campaign’s closing days, disinformation arrives via text message and email”

October 28, 2020, 8:44 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: A video sent to voters falsely claimed that Joe Biden wants to give “sex changes to second-graders.”A menacing directive advised Democrats to vote for Trump “or else.”And a years-old photograph newly circulated with erroneous instructions for how to… Continue reading

“Right-wing misinformation machine could gain steam post-election”

October 28, 2020, 7:23 amcheap speechRick Hasen

Axios reports.

The Journalism Empire Strikes Back: Ben Smith NYT Column on WSJ’s Failure to Bite on the Hunter Biden Story Despite Efforts of Trump World and White House Counsel Lawyer

October 26, 2020, 7:17 amcheap speechRick Hasen

This is a must-read.

“Facebook Seeks Shutdown of NYU Research Project Into Political Ad Targeting”

October 23, 2020, 5:01 pmcampaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

WSJ: Facebook is demanding that a New York University research project cease collecting data about its political-ad targeting practices, setting up a fight with academics seeking to study the platform without the company’s permission.The dispute involves the NYU Ad… Continue reading

“What global elections have taught Silicon Valley about misinformation”

October 23, 2020, 10:56 amcheap speechRick Hasen

Politico: The swift action Twitter and Facebook took to stifle an unverified New York Post article and the crushing political pressure that forced them to reverse course illustrate a key reality: With just weeks until the U.S. election, tech… Continue reading

“Md. elections officials say video’s allegation of ballot fraud is untrue. But it’s already gone viral.”

October 21, 2020, 9:14 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Elections officials in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss a viral video alleging that an election worker attempted to tamper with a mailed-in ballot.A thorough investigation revealed no evidence of fraud or misconduct,… Continue reading

“Threatening emails to Democratic voters spark investigations in Florida and Alaska”

October 20, 2020, 8:46 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Authorities in Florida and Alaska on Tuesday were investigating threatening emails sent to Democratic voters that claimed to be from the Proud Boys, a far-right group supportive of President Trump, but appeared instead to be a deceptive campaign making… Continue reading

WSJ Profile of Facebook’s Zuckerberg Talks About His Political Education, “Open Line” With President’s Son-in-Law and Others

October 16, 2020, 4:54 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

WSJ: Mr. Zuckerberg maintains an open line with Mr. Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The two sometimes discuss Facebook policies over WhatsApp. The CEO spoke this year with Mr. Kushner and separately with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about… Continue reading