Weekly round-up of cognitive security-related articles from the New York Times.
Dictionary.com Chooses ‘Misinformation’ as Word of the Year
New York Times, Associated Press, November 26th, 2018
Misinformation, as opposed to disinformation, was chosen Monday as Dictionary.com’s word of the year on the tattered coattails of “toxic,” picked earlier this month for the same honor by Oxford Dictionaries in these tumultuous times.
The Website That Shows How a Free Press Can Die
New York Times, November 24th, 2018
Hungary’s leading news website, Origo, had a juicy scoop: A top aide to the far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, had used state money to pay for sizable but unexplained expenses during secret foreign trips. The story embarrassed Mr. Orban and was a reminder that his country still had an independent press. But that was in 2014. Today, Origo is one of the prime minister’s most dutiful media boosters, parroting his attacks on migrants and on George Soros, the Hungarian-American philanthropist demonized by the far right on both sides of the Atlantic.
Trying to Fight, Not Spread, Fear and Lies
How can the media avoid the misinformation trap?
New York Times, Opinion, November 23rd, 2018
Something continues to nag at me about the midterm elections. It’s the way we in the news media too often allowed ourselves to be manipulated by President Trump to heighten fears about the immigrant caravan from Central America so as to benefit Republican candidates. Obviously there were many journalists who pushed back on the president’s narrative, but on the whole I’m afraid news organizations became a channel for carefully calculated fear-mongering about refugees.
Google Tightens Political Ad Rules Ahead of Europe Elections
New York Times, Associated Press, November 22nd, 2018
Google said Thursday it’s expanding stricter political advertising requirements to the European Union as part of efforts to curb misinformation and increase transparency ahead of the bloc’s elections next year.
Specter of Meddling by Beijing Looms Over Taiwan’s Elections
New York Times, November 22nd, 2018
As Taiwan prepares to hold local elections on Saturday, concerns are growing that Beijing’s long effort to sway the island’s politics has been armed with a new weapon: a Russia-style influence campaign.
Facebook Shuts 20 Pages Claiming to Be Ethiopian Broadcaster
New York Times, November 21st, 2018
A major Ethiopian broadcaster says Facebook has shut 20 pages that falsely used its name. Fana Broadcasting Corporate’s announcement comes as Ethiopians complain that fake news reports in recent months have contributed to mass violence and deaths in some parts of the country.
Google Tightens Political Ad Rules Ahead of Europe Elections
New York Times, Associated Press, November 22nd, 2018
Google said Thursday it’s expanding stricter political advertising requirements to the European Union as part of efforts to curb misinformation and increase transparency ahead of the bloc’s elections next year.
How Facebook’s P.R. Firm Brought Political Trickery to Tech
New York Times, November 21st, 2018
When Tim Miller, a longtime Republican political operative, moved to the Bay Area last year to set up a public relations shop, he brought with him tradecraft more typical of Washington than Silicon Valley.
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