In this age of bots, cyber-warfare and mass disinformation, it can be increasingly difficult to tell what’s true and what’s not. And while fake news has been a pretty constant feature of social media for the past decade, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has really brought it back into focus.
Luckily, a new website is trying to cut through the sludge of mistruths. It’s called ukrainefacts.org, and is a collaborative project from the International Fact-Checking Network Signatories. The initiative brings together the work of 120 fact-checking organisations in dozens of countries around the world, all of which cover stories and images not just circulating through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok but also on news sites.
Take a look at ukrainefacts.org and you’ll soon see the immense amount of disinformation out there regarding the conflict. The mistruths range from doctored images and videos to photographs taken completely out of context. The site also has a map showing which countries currently have the highest amounts of disinformation about the conflict. Here’s an interactive version:
The website has apparently fact-checked more than 600 things so far, from claims that years-old images of conflict in Lebanon and Nigeria are from Ukraine to false allegations that there’s a video in which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wore a T-shirt bearing Nazi insignia. It’s all pretty eye-opening, to say the least.
Keen to make sure you aren’t caught up in spreading any misinformation? Take a look at the website here.
Want to do your bit to help the victims? Here are 17 ways you can support the people of Ukraine right now.