Pro-Russian Disinformation Systematically Spread Using Western Media Channels

Western media channels are being systematically manipulated to spread pro-Russian government propaganda and disinformation, according to a new report by the Crime and Security Research Institute at Cardiff University.

The researchers said they uncovered evidence that “provocative” pro-Russian or anti-Western statements were being systematically posted in reader comments sections in articles relating to Russia in 32 prominent media outlets across 16 countries. Russian-language media outlets subsequently used these comments as the basis of stories about politically controversial events.

These stories insinuated there is significant support among Western citizens for Russia or President Putin, using headlines such as “Daily Mail readers say…” and “Readers of Der Spiegel think…” They were also picked up and reported by other ‘fringe media’ and websites with track records of spreading disinformation and propaganda, some of whom have been linked to Russian intelligence services by Western security agencies.

In one example highlighted by the study, a small number of comments in a Mail Online story about the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan were used in a Russian news article under the headline “The British have compared the rise of the Taliban to power with the end of Western civilization.”

These stories were primarily published in Russia and audiences in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria. In total, the team discovered 242 stories that they believe were generated in this fashion. Among the websites repeatedly targeted by the influence operation are The Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Times in the UK; Fox News and Washington Post in the US; Le Figaro in France; Der Spiegel and Die Welt in Germany; and La Stampa in Ital ..

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