NI 552 - November, 2024

Disinformation

A note from the editor

Age of Doubt

Information is the raw material for society. It is information that turns us from individuals operating in isolation into communities. Information is the substrate on which our ideas grow. The space in which this raw material exists is the information ecosystem.

Authoritarians know this. That’s why they spend so much time and energy trying to control the media and our ability to connect with each other. The more we know the less likely we are to tolerate tyranny. Yet it’s only now that the world seems to have woken up to the damage being done to democracy by the way our information ecosystems are increasingly shaped by a desire to make money instead of the desire to connect. Think about it – where do you get most of your news? Instead of investing in quality news we are being shuffled towards social media and platforms where our view of the world is shaped by proprietary algorithms.

It’s true that the language to describe what we are witnessing is not in itself new. But today, concepts like misinformation are no longer niche words used by experts. Ordinary people are well aware of these threats, and counteracting them has become an imperative for any engaged citizen.

Even so, our responses are stilted by limited understandings of just how important information is to democracy, and how information exists within an ecosystem rather than in isolation. In this edition, we explore what we mean by the information ecosystem and, what can be done to protect its integrity.

Elsewhere, Sophie Neiman reports from the war-torn DRC, and Huw Paige examines the rising geopolitical tensions putting Antarctica at risk.

Nanjala Nyabola for the New Internationalist co-operative.
www.newint.org

The big story

Making sense of the world in an age of doubt: people are reflected in mirrors on the 91st floor of The Summit near Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

Photo: Gordon Donovan/Alamy

NI 552 - November, 2024

Disinformation

A note from the editor

Age of Doubt

The big story

Although far from a modern phenomenon, the potency and complexity of misinformation has increased in the digital age. To tackle it, we need a systemic response that goes further than debunking one lie at a time, argues Nanjala Nyabola.

The Big Story

Action, and further reading on disinformation.

One hundred years ago the incendiary ‘Zinoviev letter’, allegedly from the Soviet Union, incited British communists to revolution. Conrad Landin examines an early example of ‘fake news’.

The industry; distrust in the news; laws and regulations; key terms; term usage over time.

Disinformation can undermine elections, pose risks to public health and stoke division and violence against minorities. Words by Paula Lacey.

Don Kevin Hapal unmasks the hidden workforce driving the Philippines’ flourishing disinformation ecosystem – and they are not who you might think.

Nanjala Nyabola reports on Western media's reporting on Israel’s war on Palestine.

The fact-checking industry is booming. But how effective is it? Samira Sawlani explores its role in the digital age and assesses its powers and limitations in tackling the flood of disinformation polluting our media ecosystem.

As he marks his eightieth year, Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado reflects with Graeme Green on an illustrious career documenting some of the rawest moments of life on Earth.

After a violent crackdown by the state, the struggle for the region’s independence from Nigeria has intensified. Promise Eze explores the impact of growing violence.

With tensions rising, is it time states returned to a more co-operative form of governing Antarctica? Huw Paige reports.

Sophie Neiman reports from the Democratic Republic of Congo to shine a light on the neglected stories of women bearing the brunt of war.

How does the profit motive shape our information ecosystem and where does the scope for action lie? Listen to the first episode of our new podcast series The World Unspun with Nanjala Nyabola.

Comment

Choking season, by Nilanjana Bhowmick.

Nude protest lives on, by Rosebell Kagumire.

Municipal elections ignore green elephant in the room. By Leonardo Sakamoto.

The possibility of reaching a one-state solution seems more distant than ever, but it remains the most obvious, direct and logical route to end the conflict and build a just future for Palestinians and Israelis, argues Ghada Karmi.

Currents

Serbian villagers resist as lithium mining threatens to wipe them out, writes Matt Broomfield.

As Iran tightens its grip on internet censorship, citizens face growing challenges in accessing the outside world. Rebecca Ruth Gould reports.

As a bill to abolish capital punishment gains momentum, Zimbabwe faces a critical moment in its history. Wallace Mawire reports.

Sham trial; Nick of time; Popular or criminal vote?; Damn that dam; Deepfakes crisis; Let the games begin.

Locals resist construction of US military radar station, reports Paula Lacey.

Maasai pastoralists disenfranchised ahead of local elections, reports Kizito Makoye.

Pamiri resistance crushed under Rahmon’s rule, reports Tina Burrett.

Australian First Nations activist takes genocide case against the Crown, reports Zoe Holman.

India’s newly elected prime minister is already making waves.

India’s new surrogacy regime discriminates on the basis of gender and marital status, reports Manu Moudgil.

Loggers’ deaths highlight government failures to protect isolated Indigenous lands, reports Stephanie Boyd.

Our future; Arms off campus; Pro-choice zones.

Regulars

Praise, blame and all points in between? Give us your feedback.

A visit to a secluded Jewish community nestled in the hilltops of rural Uganda brings back warm memories of home for Sophie Neiman.

'Israel closes Al Jazeera office in occupied West Bank' by Hamzeh Hajjaj (Jordan)

Rwanda 2.0, writes Zoe Holman.

Protesters gather at dawn on 11 September in Melbourne to blockade Land Forces 2024.

The photos, facts, and politics of Haiti.

Polyp introduces the Chartists, a 19th-century movement in Britain which inspired rebels across the globe.

Highlighting the work of artists and photographers from the Majority World.

Anoosheh Ashoori, who spent more than four years arbitrarily imprisoned in Iran, speaks to Maxine Betteridge-Moes about his experiences in the notorious Evin prison.

Empower yourself! Use your vote! Illustration by Kate Evans.

Hurricane economy, by P J Polyp.

Should forests be fuel? The pre-emptive arrest of 25 climate campaigners in the UK, highlights a dirty secret. Danny Chivers reports.

The scream, by Marc Roberts.

President of Argentina.

Struggling with an ethical dilemma? New Internationalist’s Agony Uncle can help you find answers in our troubled political times.

Film, Book & Music Reviews

How does the profit motive shape our information ecosystem and where does the scope for action lie? Listen to the first episode of our new podcast series The World Unspun with Nanjala Nyabola.

Systemic; Patria; Faraway the Southern Sky; Wild Houses.