News/Analysis/Review of 2024

Welcome to The Spectrum of Misinformation newsletter bringing you the latest misinformation news, in-depth analysis, and practical advice for communicators.

In News digest catch-up on Trump's vaccines comments, fake news in the Romanian & US elections, how outrage makes things go viral, AI derailing misinformation testimony, media moves, and how the far right frothed over milk conspiracy theories. In this special edition there's an analysis of The year in misinformation, and see what else you may have missed in Previously: on the spectrum.

News digest

TIME features an interview with Trump in which he draws a false link between childhood vaccines and autism and says "there's something causing it", he wants "very serious tests", and would discuss with his health nominee RFK Jr, a known spreader of vaccine misinformation.

The Guardian carries an opinion piece on whether Russian disinformation spread on TikTok may have helped a far-right independent candidate top the polls in Romania's presidential election.

Washington Post examines two studies, one showing foreign actors shared 160 false narratives during the US elections aimed at fuelling polarisation and another that triggering outrage was successful at getting people to share content without caring if it was true.

Forbes covers how a leading misinformation researcher has been criticised for citing non-existent studies in his expert testimony in a legal case that were apparently fabricated by ChatGPT.

BBC reveals an AI-generated iPhone news headline falsely stated the man arrested following the murder of healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself.

NPR reports Trump wants Kari Lake, sharer of misinformation about elections and COVID-19, to lead VOA.

Evening Standard looks at why rightwing influencers have latched on to conspiracy theories about Bovaer, a feed additive being trialed in UK milk production, and hijacked the raw milk movement.

2024: The year in misinformation

A trawl of the year's news shows misinformation went BIG in 2024.

A year of elections (US, Canada, UK, Europe, India) is one reason. Another is a year of conflict (Ukraine, Gaza, Syria). Fake news can be a powerful way to stoke divisions and extremes, to fire-up allies and make up enemies.

But it might also be the year counter-misinformation struck back. It's been encouraging to read, for example, about Gavi tackling measles misinformation, Carnegie's counter-disinformation policy guide, BBC Future explaining the sift method, CEPR on how people can build resistance, and the latest misinformation research in Science.

Would it be enough or would AI deepfakes steal all the votes?

Perhaps as so often (bar a few robocalls) AI hopes and fears were overblown. And yet the continual attrition of human-generated misinformation on X and TikTok and Facebook, on clickbait news sites and peddled by political opportunists, has been enough to break even the most seasoned fact-checker's heart.

It's no surprise that the US figures heavily in my end of year round-up. As I've written before Trump has a type, people who generate or spread misinformation. False claims about voting, migrants, vaccines, even "weather control", all fed into the US election news cycle. At the same time efforts by the Biden administration and misinformation researchers to have dangerously misleading content taken down were characterised as politically-motivated censorship and an assault on the first amendment. The year ended with threats of funding cuts and legal action against US universities and misinformation researchers.

Australia's prominence in the headlines is perhaps more surprising. Legal wrangles over a proposed dis/misinformation bill highlight how hard it is to agree who decides what is and isn't misinformation and, when governments are involved, to guard against political bias.

The UK did not escape the fake news maelstrom. Rightwing politicians were happy to share misinformation about the WHO pandemic treaty when it suited their agenda. More worrying still, far right extremists sought to weaponise fake news about the tragic Southport stabbings, leading to widespread riots and violence. Individual sharers of misinformation were charged and the UK government announced it would look at educating children to resist conspiracy theories but, as journalists concluded, without action to kerb the spread of false information on social media platforms it may not be enough.

Which brings us to X.

While social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram regularly feature in stories about misinformation, Musk's X runs through the year's fake news like a stick of rock.

From enabling its users to monetise content with false claims about conflict, health, and immigration, to Musk himself promoting election misinformation to millions, the power of X (which I've previously described as "the perfect misinformation virus delivery system") is impossible to ignore. Quite what the impacts will be of Musk's appointment to lead DOGE are hard to predict, but for now it looks like his misinformation megaphone will operate from within the inner circle of the Trump administration.

My survey of 2024 confirmed for me that while misinformation is certainly not the cause of all our problems, by distracting and dividing us, making us lose faith in real solutions or reality itself, it makes everything worse. Of course, in looking for misinformation it's easy to tumble down the rabbit hole and start seeing conspiracies everywhere. But, as they say, you aren't paranoid if they really are out to get you...

So what can we expect from 2025? It promises to be a year like no other for misinformation watchers as attacks intensify and organisations and governments around the world struggle to respond.

I think clues to how the battle lines will be drawn, and what we might need to do to resist attacks, can be found in the last 12 months:

January

The Guardian highlighted Cranky Uncle, a game that teaches players to spot misinformation tricks (the more you spot, the angrier the uncle becomes!) and has been translated into 12 languages.

AP covered a WEF report suggesting AI-powered misinformation is the top short-term risk to the global economy.

With elections coming up, CBC reported on Canada's new counter-disinformation tool, ElectoFacts, helping voters sift fact from fiction.

CNN featured a CCDH report into 'new denial', where climate misinformers switch tactics to attack climate solutions and science, with The Guardian focusing on the finding that 31% of UK 13-17 year-olds believe climate change is exaggerated.

February

AFP Fact Check showed how influencers used X to monetise war-related fake news, earning thousands from paid subscribers.

Memes might seem like a joke but Gavi investigated how they've played an integral part in antivax disinformation campaigns.

LA Times explored why many Americans believe the false claim that migrants are bringing fentanyl across the US border.

March

Japan is not banning COVID-19 vaccines as social media posts suggest, Reuters showed, with the mRNA vaccines still recommended but no longer free.

CBS News discussed misinformation about birth control side effects on TikTok and Instagram and the struggle to debunk the myths.

The Atlantic shared a cautionary tale about a group advocating for legislation to prevent doctors from sharing false health information that was shut down after online attacks and legal threats.

The US Supreme Court heard a case alleging White House requests to take down COVID-19 misinformation violated the first amendment, The Guardian reported. Meanwhile USA TODAY examined how pandemic myths still persist.

April

BBC covered a group of MPs urging the UK Government to counter misinformation by engaging with 15-24 year-olds on TikTok.

Australian authorities had social media pages spreading misinformation about the Sydney church stabbing taken down, according to The Guardian.

AFP Fact Check revealed how accounts posing as digital investigators are spreading false war-related information for clout or profit.

NBC News debunked the notorious claim that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause lethal heart problems in young people.

May

Japan Times examined why Japanese people are less exposed to disinformation and more likely to spot it, suggesting this "accidental resistance" is due to language, political disengagement, and trust in mainstream media.

The Guardian reported how WHO accused Nigel Farage of spreading misinformation about the global pandemic treaty.

A study showing 10 'super-spreader' users on X were responsible for more than a third of misinformation shared on the platform was highlighted by ABC News.

NBC News looked at persistent myths around fluoride and pregnancy that are causing US communities to reject fluoride in drinking water.

June

Financial Times took a deep dive into the targeting of US fact-checkers accused of silencing rightwing voices and creating a so-called "Censorship Industrial Complex".

Reuters exposed how the US military shared disinformation on X to spread fears about Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines.

Dangerous false claims about "toxic" sunscreens and the risks of sunbathing made in videos on social media were debunked by NPR.

BBC reported the US supreme court rejected a case claiming Biden's administration illegally coerced social media platforms into taking down COVID-19 and 2020 election posts regarded as misinformation.

July

AP and AFP both debunked fake claims and conspiracy theories being shared in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Sky News investigated how far-right groups shared misinformation about the Southport stabbings, BBC looked at if false claims on social media led to riots and targeting of a mosque, The Guardian reported Nigel Farage was accused of spreading conspiracy theories linked to the violence.

August

The Guardian examined the role AI-generated fake images and TikTok bots played in far-right violence following the Southport stabbings. While BBC investigated Channel3Now, whose story falsely naming the person charged over the Southport stabbings was widely shared on X.

Yvette Cooper told FT social media companies had put "rocket boosters" under some misinformation linked to far-right violence.

Bridget Phllipson announced a review of the English schools curriculum to arm children against "putrid conspiracy theories" (see Sky News).

Reuters highlighted 5 US states urging Musk to stop X's Grok chatbot from spreading election misinformation. AP reported Meta shutting down its misinformation tracker CrowdTangle.

NBC News covered CDC denying false claims on social media it was considering closing schools in the event of an mpox outbreak in the US.

September

The Guardian looked at combatting mpox conspiracy theories as vaccines reached DRC while Times of India debunked mpox myths.

Ghanaians were warned of AI deep fakes ahead of elections as VOA Africa interviewed a journalist who had his voice cloned by scammers.

Washington Post examined false claims about noncitizens voting spread by Musk on X, AlJazeera studied the fear and chaos, including bomb threats, caused by fake news about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, with CNN reporting false posts were shared by Musk.

US conservatives may be more susceptible to believing and sharing misinformation than liberals, according to research covered by Forbes.

BBC's Marianna Spring investigated those charged over social media posts linked to far right violence following the Southport stabbings and how others have evaded responsibility.

October

Reuters quoted Biden criticising misinformation about the response to Hurricane Milton including Trump's wrongly stating FEMA funding had been diverted to migrants. It was later alleged Russian, Chinese, and Russian accounts were amplifying hurricane misinformation.

Meteorologists faced death threats following conspiracy theories about Storms Helene and Milton, including "they can control the weather", shared by Republicans, The Guardian reported.

In an LSE Blog, three leading experts argue misinformation is a threat to society and support for research into it is vital, while MIT News looked at why debunking election misinformation doesn't always work.

NBC News highlighted how X's Grok AI boosted US election misinformation, BBC investigated how X users can make thousands from fake election content, AP covered that X's Community Notes failed to address the flood of election misinformation on the platform.

US election officials in key battleground states struggled to prevent the spread of Musk's false election claims on X, CNN reported.

November

Trump's US election victory is likely to trigger a new wave of misinformation with concerns about the views of Trump nominees for government jobs, such as Robert F Kennedy Jr, highlighted in outlets including BBC, The Guardian and STAT .

POLITICO profiled Dave Weldon, nominated to lead the CDC, who has questioned the safety of vaccines such as MMR and suggested a mercury-based preservative once commonly used in vaccines is linked to a rise in autism.

FT covered concerns the Trump administration could cut funding for US misinformation research and support legal action against universities.

ABC News reported Australia's proposed mis/disinformation laws were criticised of "overreach" by legal experts claiming a reliance on non-expert government fact-checkers could end up suppressing the truth.

The Australian mis/disinformation bill was later dropped, BBC reported a bill to ban under-16s from social media passed but critics questioned how it will work and ABC News quoted its chair saying Australia is being "flooded" with misinformation and disinformation with the broadcaster best placed to help stem the tide.

The Guardian reported Nigel Farage's campaign group against WHO has links to consultants working for vaping and novel nicotine firms.

FT covered a discussion on AI and misinformation at their recent Future of AI Summit highlighting why people might be happy to accept fake content with Elizabeth Dubois commenting: "the reality is people like to be entertained. People like to feel community. People like to have their ideas supported and reinforced."

CNN highlighted a survey of 500 social media influencers with 62% saying they do not verify the accuracy of information before sharing. UNESCO are calling for influencers to learn fact-checking skills.

December

See News digest above.

Previously: on the spectrum

Missed something? Read newsletters #1 & #2: News/Analysis/Decoding the spectrum & News/Analysis/7 positive steps, discover where it all began with Adventures in misinformation, brush up your vocab with Learning the language, prepare for the new wave in US: get ready for the surge, and find out how to talk about misinformation without spreading it in How weak? The art of weakening attacks.

Thanks for reading! The Spectrum of Misinformation will return in 2025.