Beware: U.S. election disinformation masked as 'breaking news'

"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 a persistent assault on reality across tech platforms that researchers say 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 "commonly use terms like 'breaking' in an apparent attempt to convey legitimacy," Sam Howard, politics editor at the watchdog NewsGuard, told AFP.

"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."

He posted a clip of Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential contender, at the event in Las Vegas, which briefly showed a teleprompter with words on it before it turned off.

AFP's fact-checkers debunked the false claim, which spread to other platforms such as Facebook and TikTok; the town hall host confirmed that the teleprompter had only displayed his introduction in Spanish.

'Charlatans'

"BREAKING: Texas Secretary of State directs poll workers to accept NON CITIZEN driver's licenses as ID to vote," said another viral post on X debunked by AFP.

Federal law prohibits anyone without US citizenship from voting in presidential elections.

This month, multiple accounts on X posted the "breaking" news that Jamie Dimon, the influential chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, had endorsed Donald Trump.

The Republican nominee also posted a screenshot containing the falsehood on his Truth Social platform.

Dimon denied the claim, with his spokesman telling US media the banker had not endorsed any candidate.

So far this year NewsGuard has identified 36 false narratives related to the upcoming election that were promoted by individuals using the term "breaking," Howard said.

That is more than a quarter of the total false narratives tracked by the group.

"Journalists report breaking news by interviewing sources, checking data, verifying facts and updating coverage as needed," said Dan Evon, lead writer with RumorGuard, a site that helps debunk viral disinformation.

"On the other hand, charlatans -- many of whom claim to be doing citizen journalism -- co-opt journalism lingo to push out baseless speculation or fabrications in mere seconds."

The nonprofit News Literacy Project, which runs RumorGuard, said it has so far gathered at least 72 examples of social media posts that use mainstream journalism terms such as "breaking," "developing," and "exclusive" as a way to spread false information about the election.

'Slow your scroll'

The blizzard of falsehoods reflects a new normal in the age of information chaos, which researchers say is stoking distrust in the mainstream press.

Trust in mass media has touched a "record low," according to a Gallup survey released this month, with only 31 percent of Americans saying they have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of confidence in the press.

Further eroding the trust, researchers say hundreds of fake sites masquerading as "news" outlets have proliferated in recent months.

The sites -– which mimic local news outlets and are largely enabled by cheap, widely available artificial intelligence tools -– appear to be fueling an explosion of polarizing or false narratives about the election.

In another troubling trend, online influencers have been attributing false information to credible news outlets.

This month, conservative influencers shared a screenshot of a headline attributed to The Atlantic magazine, which suggested Harris may need to "steal" the election to save democracy.

AFP's fact-checkers found the headline had been fabricated.

RumorGuard's Evon said using journalism terms to crank out falsehoods was a popular tactic but relatively easy to spot and debunk despite the potential to go viral.

"Remember to check your sources," he said.

"Look for evidence and slow your scroll on social media to allow time for credible information to emerge."

© 2024 AFP