“Breaking” news, screamed an online post by a conservative American influencer as he pushed disinformation about Kamala Harris, illustrating how journalism lingo has been co-opted as a tool to amplify election falsehoods.
The misuse of the term, typically deployed by media outlets to relay major news developments, is part of an assault on reality across tech platforms that researchers said have relaxed their guardrails against false information in a crucial election year.
It is yet another disinformation trend undermining trust in traditional media – already at historic lows, surveys show – alongside the proliferation of fake “news” sites and the growing tactic of attributing false information to legitimate media outlets.
Disinformation peddlers “use terms like ‘breaking’ in an apparent attempt to convey legitimacy,” Sam Howard, politics editor at the watchdog, NewsGuard, said.
“This tactic has had a conspicuous role in false US political narratives that have spread in 2024.”
In a recent viral post to his 2.8 million followers on X, the former Twitter, right-wing influencer Benny Johnson wrote: “Breaking: Univision accidentally broadcast proof that Kamala used a teleprompter at her town hall.”
この記事は The Citizen の October 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Citizen の October 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Why buying vacant land in an estate is a good investment
Investing in a coastal estate is beneficial for everyone from first-time buyers to families and retirees, but the big debate is often between buying a home or buying land and building oneself.
A rising star in clean living
Soweto-based entrepreneur and author of the book #I am a housekeeper, Mbali Nhlapo, widely known as the founder of Sisters @ Work and a viral TikTok sensation, has become a household name in South African homes.
Notre Dame gets love
Americans open their hearts and wallets
Heart-stopping vistas of Cape Town
Table Mountain is the lodestar
K-culture doing OK in Sunshine Land
Fans flock to sites associated with boy band
Hello? Calling my owner?
Lost, but nearly always found-even your pet
Proteas tighten grip
DOMINANT: STUBBS, BAVUMA TONS BAT SRI LANKA RIGHT OUT OF THE GAME
Sirino looks ready to go
Gaston Sirino (above) could return for Kaizer Chiefs in their Betway Premiership clash with Royal AM today at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Inexperience becoming a tired excuse
There will always be reasons that teams are defeated, but there is one particular excuse that has become too easy for our national cricket teams to lean on when they lose.
Cricket-mad Vaibhav's dream becomes reality
Dreams have come early for cricket-mad Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the shy schoolboy aged 13 who is the youngest player in Indian Premier League history.
