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Blacks are not immune from the disinformation so prevalent in America today. And it is not always whites who are responsible for spreading it.
DERON SNYDER
JUN 27, 2024
According to a new report published by Onyx Impact — a nonprofit dedicated to fighting disinformation — at least 40 million Black Americans may be regularly targeted or reached with misleading and harmful storylines from six core online sources. To no great surprise, wingnut Candace Owens is listed among the most influential distributors of false information. Throw her in with other far-right Black activists, gateway influencers and platforms, toxic voices in the Black Manosphere, health skeptics, Black extreme nativists/separatists and opportunistic foreign actors, and we’ve got a brewing crisis that could explode on Election Day, Nov. 5.
As Zora Neale Hurston said, “All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.”
Granted, we must make room for honest differences of opinion and alternate points of view. The report found that three misleading themes (about civic disengagement, broken promises by President Joe Biden and division stoking) are the most significant threats to Black voter interest in the fall. But in the executive summary, it also acknowledged the “complex, ever-evolving nature of Black culture and our information ecosystem” and recognized that “the intentionality spectrum of harmful discourse is broad.”
thegrio.com
So let's look at the report.
1. The three most significant narrative threats to Black voter engagement in 2024 are misleading narratives about: Civic Disengagement, Biden Broken Promises, and Stoking Division.
2. The Far-Right Activist Network, particularly Black Far-Right Activists, spread the most disinformation to Black communities and engage with the highest number of misleading narratives.
3. Anti-immigrant narratives are prevalent across multiple Black disinfo networks and the risk of this narrative “breaking out” is high.
4. In the current media environment, Black Gateway Influencers and Platforms are critical to stemming the rising tide of disinformationand reaching Black audiences targeted by harmful narratives.
The Black Far-Right Activist Network is Spreading the Most Disinformation to Black communities.
We cannot underestimate the power of this network to shape 2024 discourse and persuade Black voters. The Black Far-Right Activist Network is the only core network actively engaging with and amplifying all ten prominent narratives identified in this analysis. In addition, the reach of just five leading actors in this space is more than 11 million subscribers, with content views and engagement numbers many factors higher. Well known far-right influencer Candace Owens has experienced a remarkable rise in notoriety in Black online spaces, coinciding with her split from the far-right outlet Daily Wire. In recent months, Owens has strategically rebranded herself to appeal to Black audiences and has aligned herself with “Black Manosphere” key actors like the Fresh and Fit podcast, while gaining access to top “Gateway Influencer” actors like The Breakfast Club and The Joe Budden Podcast.
A new study looked at the sources of disinformation in the Black community. Sometimes, it be your own people.
OPINION: A new report says at least 40 million Black Americans may be regularly targeted or reached with misleading and harmful storylines from six core online sources.DERON SNYDER
JUN 27, 2024
According to a new report published by Onyx Impact — a nonprofit dedicated to fighting disinformation — at least 40 million Black Americans may be regularly targeted or reached with misleading and harmful storylines from six core online sources. To no great surprise, wingnut Candace Owens is listed among the most influential distributors of false information. Throw her in with other far-right Black activists, gateway influencers and platforms, toxic voices in the Black Manosphere, health skeptics, Black extreme nativists/separatists and opportunistic foreign actors, and we’ve got a brewing crisis that could explode on Election Day, Nov. 5.
As Zora Neale Hurston said, “All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.”
Granted, we must make room for honest differences of opinion and alternate points of view. The report found that three misleading themes (about civic disengagement, broken promises by President Joe Biden and division stoking) are the most significant threats to Black voter interest in the fall. But in the executive summary, it also acknowledged the “complex, ever-evolving nature of Black culture and our information ecosystem” and recognized that “the intentionality spectrum of harmful discourse is broad.”
A new study looked at the sources of disinformation in the Black community. Sometimes, it be your own people.
A new report says at least 40 million Black Americans may be regularly targeted or reached with misleading and harmful storylines.
thegrio.com
So let's look at the report.
1. The three most significant narrative threats to Black voter engagement in 2024 are misleading narratives about: Civic Disengagement, Biden Broken Promises, and Stoking Division.
2. The Far-Right Activist Network, particularly Black Far-Right Activists, spread the most disinformation to Black communities and engage with the highest number of misleading narratives.
3. Anti-immigrant narratives are prevalent across multiple Black disinfo networks and the risk of this narrative “breaking out” is high.
4. In the current media environment, Black Gateway Influencers and Platforms are critical to stemming the rising tide of disinformationand reaching Black audiences targeted by harmful narratives.
The Black Far-Right Activist Network is Spreading the Most Disinformation to Black communities.
We cannot underestimate the power of this network to shape 2024 discourse and persuade Black voters. The Black Far-Right Activist Network is the only core network actively engaging with and amplifying all ten prominent narratives identified in this analysis. In addition, the reach of just five leading actors in this space is more than 11 million subscribers, with content views and engagement numbers many factors higher. Well known far-right influencer Candace Owens has experienced a remarkable rise in notoriety in Black online spaces, coinciding with her split from the far-right outlet Daily Wire. In recent months, Owens has strategically rebranded herself to appeal to Black audiences and has aligned herself with “Black Manosphere” key actors like the Fresh and Fit podcast, while gaining access to top “Gateway Influencer” actors like The Breakfast Club and The Joe Budden Podcast.
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