Disinformation about Belarus spreads in the Balkans via online portals and social media · Global Voices

Protesters in Minsk on August 14, 2020. Photo by Melirius via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. This story is based on reporting by Global Voices’ content partner Meta.mk News Agency, a project of the Metamorphosis Foundation.  The recent political turmoil in Belarus has been accompanied by an increased amount of disinformation aboutContinue Reading

How political attack adverts can backfire

'What happened to Joe Biden?' A 2020 Trump campaign attack advert. Donald J Trump/YouTube A wave of political adverts is beginning to flood the American media as the November presidential election approaches. A major theme will be attack adverts in which one candidate will highlight the shortcomings of their opponent.Continue Reading

Misinformation: tech companies are removing 'harmful' coronavirus content – but who decides what that means?

Pearl PhotoPix/Shutterstock The “infodemic” of misinformation about coronavirus has made it difficult to distinguish accurate information from false and misleading advice. The major technology companies have responded to this challenge by taking the unprecedented move of working together to combat misinformation about COVID-19. Part of this initiative involves promoting contentContinue Reading

Hunger, lost income and increased anxiety: how coronavirus lockdowns put huge pressure on young people around the world

Watering plants in Ethioipa: how young lives have been affected by COVID-19. © Young Lives / Mulugeta Gebrekidan For many young people around the world, the economic effects of lockdown policies have been more significant than the health impacts of coronavirus. Young people are going hungry, facing widespread job lossesContinue Reading

Police legitimacy: how it can be regained once lost

Shutterstock/Alexander Oganezov There is a well-known phrase that describes a certain view of police officers. Often abbreviated in graffiti and on placards to “ACAB”, the words “all cops are bastards” have been widely adopted as a response to the way police forces operate. Whatever you think of the sentiment behindContinue Reading