Asks Canadian professor of Russian history, Paul Robinson. This because of the sometimes quite hysteric campaigns against ”disinformation”, which are not always scrupulous about the disinformation they spread.
Particularly when the ”disinformation” is told to come from Russia; then it for some reason tends to be even more hysterical.
Prof. Robinson concludes, concerning a rather affected article in the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail:
In short, it’s much ado about nothing, but a nothing that is being used to paint Canada as under serious attack, and to demand government action in retaliation. As such, we ought to be decidedly concerned about it.
Beyond that, it’s also all rather silly. ‘Tweets from the suspect accounts sometimes push narratives with no proof,’ complains The Globe and Mail. Good God, you don’t say! People on Twitter say things without proof. Whoever would have guessed?? Come on guys, people, including yourselves, say things without proof all the damned time! If we cancel everyone who says something he or she can’t prove, we’ll have to cancel everyone, yourselves included.
And there we have it. The world of the disinformation watchers verges on the ridiculous. Unfortunately, as the Globe article reveals, our media prefers to repeat their claims without question. In the process, the media seems to have given up on its job of guarding the guardians. It’s up to the rest of us to do their job for them.
https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/watching-the-disinformation-watchers/
Paul Robinson now and then, between other perhaps more serious business about Russian history, keeps an eye of the disinformation-watchers, and comments. Always in the British understatement vein, never indignant, but rather amused of the idiocy of the world.
[This article in Swedish can be read at https://aktivisterforfred.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/vem-vaktar-vaktarna/%5D
For example (older posts down the list):
On weaponizing cats and vaccines, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/12/22/on-weaponizing-cats-and-vaccines/. About the tendency to make sinister interpretation of everything Russian, even about that someone has a cat as a mascot.
Anti-vax propaganda, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/anti-vax-propaganda/. About the strange accusation against Russian to spread anti-vax propaganda (while it was in the forefront to make a vaccine against Covid-19).
The Russian Brexit plot that wasn’t, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/11/26/the-russian-brexit-plot-that-wasnt/. About the accusation, in for example The Observer, that Brexit was in some way Russia’s fault. It later turned out that it was all a rather conscious fabrication.
False news, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/false-news/. About Canadian newspaper stories about growing Russian spiderwebs which turn out to be rather spurious.
Self-deception, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/self-deception/. About British parliamentary accusations about Russian fake news involvements in the latest British election. Of course it turned out to be a nothingness – but that the Tories lied in 88 % of their adverts.
Russia Report part 2, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/russia-report-part-2/. About that the British military intelligence seems to buy very bad quality from amateurish or outright mercenary spies.
Garbage in, garbage out, again, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/garbage-in-garbage-out-2/. Dito.
Exposing the disinformation industry, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/exposing-the-disinformation-industry/. About a scholarly investigation of some disinformation claims in British media, finding that it was all bunkum.
Pot, kettle, black, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2020/04/03/pot-kettle-black/. About how rants tend to spread, regardless of its lack of real content.
Russians for Wexit, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/russians-for-wexit/. About an unfounded history, allegedly Russian, that the western Canadian provinces wanted to break with Canada.
Meddling schmeddling, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/09/10/meddling-schmeddling/. About alleged Russian meddling in Canadian election, of which no proof whatever was presented but nevertheless was deemed newsworthy.
Funny old world, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/funny-old-world/. About the most active Canadian disinformation traders and their belief in official truth control.
Looking in the wrong direction, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/looking-in-the-wrong-direction/. About that whatever Russian disinformation there may be, it is vastly outnumbered by domestic disinformation.
The Russians done it, #2, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/the-russians-done-it-2/. About a story in The Mirror that the Russians (who else) had kidnapped Flight MH370. Of course no proof.
Sickening, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/02/22/sickening/. About a story in respected medical magazine The Lancet that spread of measles was Russia’s fault. No proof.
Censors for democracy, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/censors-for-democracy/. Again, about the most active Canadian disinformation traders and their yearning for strict censorship ”to save democracy”.
It lies within, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/01/10/it-lies-within/. About possible reasons why media don’t check ridiculous stories but just push them further – while other newsworthy stories are not aired at all: Investigative journalism is expensive, and no paper wants to be the hindmost in the race.
Today’s fake news pedantry, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/01/09/todays-fake-news-pedantry/. About that sometimes fake news spread in regular media depend on a never checked mistranslation.
False flag confession, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/false-flag-confession/. About a confession from an American political party team that they deliberately set about to smear an American politician for Russian connections, without any foundations whatever.
Death by natural causes, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/12/19/death-by-natural-causes/. About widespread accusations against the Russian government to have murdered a Russian con-man in Britain, which were refuted by the British coroner who found a common heart failure.
The Kremlin’s trojan horses, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/the-kremlins-trojan-horses/. About the Atlantic Council’s infamous report, and its scanty foundations.
Lack of integrity, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/lack-of-integrity/. About the Integrity Initiative, a private firm dedicated to smear people they oppose to have them removed from influence.
Thoughts for the day, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/thought-for-the-day/. A couple of reviews: ”In the past few years I have noticed something of a pattern. Those who complain the loudest about Russian ‘disinformation’ are often the most inaccurate in their own depictions of reality.”
Garbage in, garbage out, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/garbage-in-garbage-out/. This time it is the Canadian military intelligence that is undiscerning in its choice of suppliers.
Not a ”useful idiot”, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2017/10/21/not-a-useful-idiot/. Robinson is somewhat disappointed in not having been so called since a lot of other well-known people, like Wesley Clark, Donald Rumsfeld, David Blunkett, Jack Straw and Dominique de Villepin, have. It is, of course, about having appeared in Russian media.
The Russians are coming, https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/2017/03/13/the-russians-are-coming/. A painstaking repudiation of a lot of unconfirmed warmongering in a Canadian leading magazine.
Activists for Peace 