Verified X accounts "superspreaders" of misinformation on Israel-Hamas war: report
The majority of misinformation being spread about the Israel-Hamas war on X is from blue-checkmark verified accounts, according to a new study.
NewsGuard, an organization that helps fight misinformation within media, released details in its October 2023 Misinformation Monitor report.
During the first week of the conflict (October 7 to 14), NewsGuard analyzed over 250 of X’s most engaged posts (this includes posts that were liked, reposted, replied to and bookmarked) that promoted false or unverified information about the war.
NewsGuard found that 186 of these 250 posts (74%) were posted by accounts that were verified by X.
The organization found 10 false or unverified claims that were shared by verified accounts, including posts stating Ukraine sold weapons to Hamas, a video showing Israeli or Palestinian children in cages, and claims that CNN staged footage of its news crew under attack in Israel.
“Collectively, posts advancing these myths received 1,349,979 engagements and were cumulatively viewed by more than 100 million times globally in just one week,” stated NewsGuard.
It added that blue checkmark “verified” accounts are “superspreaders” of misinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
The organization noted that X owner Elon Musk changed the social media giant’s verification system in March 2023, permitting users to pay an $8 monthly fee to be granted a verified blue checkmark on their profile. This would also mean their posts would be favoured by the X algorithm.
The once-prized blue checkmark was previously only used to identify verified news sources, celebrities, journalists, politicians, organizations, and more. Users on the platform (formerly Twitter) would also have to apply for verification and be vetted by Twitter in order to earn a blue checkmark.
NewsGuard said that Musk’s decision to change the platform’s verification process “turned out to be a boon for bad actors sharing misinformation.”
“For less than the cost of a movie ticket, they have gained the added credibility associated with the once-prestigious blue checkmark and enabling them to reach a larger audience on the platform,” stated the agency.
It noted that the X feature of community notes, which allows users to crowdsource fact-checking rather than professional fact-checkers or journalists, has not been helpful in spreading the accuracy of events in the Israel-Hamas war.
The analysis found that the fact-checks were inconsistent and failed to debunk misinformation 68% of the time.
You can read the full report here.
Follow Channels and Categories