“Analyzing the flow of information in Lithuania during the first weeks of lockdown, we can mark two general trends of disinformation targets. First of all, we see the purposeful aim to undermine public confidence in the authorities – the health care system, academics, doctors and science in general. The second aim of disinformation is to undermine the trust in democratic institutions that maintain peaceful world order, such as NATO and the European Union,” summarizes the analyst of Debunk.eu.
On March 16-29, Debunk.eu spotted 135 cases of propaganda and disinformation on Lithuanian and Russian websites and Facebook. The latter stood out as a key channel of misleading information – almost 7 out of 10 fake messages were caught in this social network. The main hot spots are the groups that have rapidly come together to discuss coronavirus. The two largest ones, “Coronavirus COVID19” and “⚠ Koronavirusas ⚠ (COVID-19)”, have a particularly large flow of misleading messages. Debunk.eu also investigated Russian and Lithuanian websites during the lockdown – almost half a hundred cases of misleading information were identified there, most of which were spotted on RuBaltic, SputnikNews and BukimeVieningi websites.
According to A. Kazlauskas, the biggest problem is that disinformation messages usually contain some truth, which makes them more convincing. “Unfortunately, many disinformation narratives came to life due to the inadequate response of official authorities, both local and international, to the potential spread of this new coronavirus and the social impact of it”, said Debunk.eu analyst. “Therefore, in finding the causes and culprits of the crisis, it is crucial not to undermine public confidence in the main poles that have maintained our way of life so far – respect for human rights, democracy and the principles of scientific development.”
Topics and narratives differed among media channels. The narrative on Facebook with the biggest potential reach and involvement (more than 492,000 potential contacts) was the stories about a panic in the world: lockdown, the worst foreign examples or shortage of goods. Other widely circulated messages were “the virus has been purposefully created in laboratories” (more than 421,000) and “the ways to cure COVID-19 exist” (almost 382,000 of the potential audience). Analysts of Debunk.eu emphasize that not all coronavirus-related Facebook groups spread misinformation – there were no misleading news spotted in the group called “Koronavirusas - tikra info”.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian and Russian websites focused on the topics of NATO and the European Union, and aimed at presenting them, together with Lithuania and the Baltic states, as the ones not coping with the situation. “Lithuania fails to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic”, “NATO does not care about Lithuania” were the most common misinformation messages on websites. They even featured a few articles saying that Lithuania was responsible for the spread of coronavirus in Crimea or that Russia would have saved the Baltic states from COVID-19.
The methodology of periodic coronavirus disinformation research by Debunk.eu includes both quantitative criteria (number of mentions), and qualitative parameters (narratives and reach). The artificial intelligence-based tool analyzes more than 30,000 channels a day, by spotting the fake news in 2 minutes after the publication.
About Debunk.eu
In 2017, a team of highly qualified disinformation experts and IT development professionals united under Debunk.eu project to start collaboratively countering the ever-increasing issue of disinformation in Lithuania. After acquiring funding from Google DNI and DELFI, the largest online news organisation in the Baltics, the team has developed a highly advanced tool based on artificial intelligence. Debunk.eu was noticed by such media giants as The Financial Times and Deutsche Welle. The tool has been presented in 17 countries, including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Serbia, etc.