Bias, Dark Money and Influence (BDMI)
Have you ever wondered what drives all those misleading headlines, who those bigoted social media trolls really are, and who stands to gain from so much disinformation?
You can find the answers here, in our database of reliable sources. We have categorised the sources based on whether they primarily address bias in the media and elsewhere, dark money from opaque sources that distort our democracy, or influence by powerful individuals or groups who seek to influence those in power without having democratic legitimacy.
The Sun
Media Bias/Fact Check, the most comprehensive media bias resource on the internet, rate The Sun as Right Biased based on story selection and political affiliation that favors the right and rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to overly sensationalized headlines and numerous failed fact checks.
Founded in 1964, The Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In surveys, The Sun is considered the Least Trusted UK news outlet by PressGazette.
The Sun is published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The paper generates revenue through advertising, newsstand sales, and subscriptions.
The Sun is a classic trashy tabloid that features celebrity gossip, current events, and right-leaning news stories. There is significant use of sensational loaded headlines.
Politically, the paper has endorsed conservatives since 2010. The paper generally publishes sensationalized, misleading stories with a right-wing bias. Further, a Reuters institute survey found that only 13% of respondents trust their news coverage and 64% do not, ranking them last in trust of the major UK news providers.
#Newspapers #TheSun
Media Literacy Guide: How to Detect Bias in News Media
An excellent guide to detecting bias in news media.
Media have tremendous power in shaping political and cultural narratives—telling us what and who matters, why things are as they are and what it would mean to change them. An informed and critical audience challenges news media to be fair, independent and accurate.
#Media #Newspapers #SocialMedia
Detecting bias in the news
A really useful article from the University of Washington on how bias appears in the news and the different types of bias that manipulate our perceptions.
#Media #Newspapers #SocialMedia
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is a charity that conducts and funds research aimed at solving poverty in the UK. JRF's stated aim is to "inspire action and change that will create a prosperous UK without poverty."
#JosephRowntreeFoundation(JRF) #Thinktanks
The Resolution Foundation
The Resolution Foundation is an independent British think tank established in 2005. Its stated aim is to improve the standard of living of low- to middle-income families.
#ResolutionFoundation #Thinktanks
Institute for Public Policy Research
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a progressive think tank based in London. It was founded in 1988 by Lord Hollick and Lord Eatwell, and is an independent registered charity. The think tank aims to maintain the momentum of progressive thought in the United Kingdom through well-researched and clearly argued policy analysis, reports, and publications; as well as a high media profile.
#InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(IPPR) #Thinktanks
Which think tanks are cited most often by the UK Government?
Think tanks play an influential role in the policymaking process in the UK and their research and recommendations are often picked up by government policymakers. Using Overton’s database of policy documents, we wanted to see which think tanks feature most often in policy documents published by the UK government.
#Thinktanks
Global Warming Policy Foundation/Net Zero Watch
Influential UK net-zero sceptics funded by US oil ‘dark money’.
Net Zero Watch says it won’t take cash from fossil fuel investors – but we discovered a funder with millions in oil.
An influential Tory-linked lobby group leading the backlash against the UK government’s net-zero policy has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from an oil-rich foundation with huge investments in energy firms, openDemocracy can reveal.
The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), which also campaigns as Net Zero Watch, has also received more
#BigMoney #ForeignMoney #Funding #GlobalWarmingPolicyFoundation #Lobby #Transparency #TuftonStreet
Inside Russia’s Notorious ‘Internet Research Agency’ (IRA) Troll Farm
Russia has been using social media platforms to attack political enemies since at least 2013 under the auspices of the IRA, according to a US Senate Intelligence Committee report.
A Justice Department indictment filed in 2018 and other reports have described hundreds of paid Russian trolls operating disinformation campaigns with an annual budget in the millions. A management group oversees the various departments - graphics, search engine optimization, IT, and finance departments among them.
#BigMoney #Democracry #ForeignInterference #ForeignMoney #SocialMedia
A NATO briefing on Russian Troll Factories
A troll factory is an entity conducting disinformation propaganda activities on the Internet. This activity is often concealed under an inconspicuous name, e.g. public relations agency, Internet research centre, etc.
The operations of troll factories are usually focused on the political or economic sphere. The aim of the operations may be e.g. attacking political opponents, unfairly attacking a competing company or other action indicated by the ordering party. Troll factories achieve their goals using, among other things, fake news and hate speech.
#Democracry #ForeignInterference #SocialMedia