Environmental disinformation is getting weirder

During disasters, people flock to social media to share warnings, coordinate in real time, and share images of the destruction. But others use the chaos of breaking news events to spread false information. 

On today’s episode, we’re exploring the rise of fake news in the environmental space, from #HawaiiNotUkraine, to a news site spreading climate disinformation in Wyoming. Plus, we speak to the people fighting back, including a community fact-checker correcting earthquake disinformation on X.

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LINKS

This article, written before Elon Musk took over X, profiled Celeste Labedz and some other folks fighting diisonfmration on social media (Poynter)

Check out Caroline Orr Bueno’s substack newsletter, Weaponized, and her piece about the #HawaiiNotUkraine hashtag. 

Jem Bartholomew’s story about the sudden growth of a Wyoming news site that’s rife with climate disinformation (CJR) 

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Jeongyoon Han

Mixed by Taylor Quimby

Edited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Nate Hegyi and Felix Poon. 

Our staff also includes Justine Paradis.

Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio.

Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio