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The Networked Trolling of Critical Journalists and News Organizations in Iraq Al-Rawi, Ahmed; Tenove, Chris; Klein, Peter

Abstract

In this study, we have identified a Twitter network of bad actors mostly affiliated with Iraqi militias that are closely connected to the federal Iraqi government. Using disinformation and threats of legal action, these users often target journalists and news organizations that are critical of them. Three datasets were collected totaling about 16,000 tweets by using 6 Arabic hashtags. We found three major themes: public shaming and personal attacks; legal threats and misinformation accusations; and glorifying Shiite heroism and promoting conspiracies. These bad actors also created a coordinated attack against journalists, news organizations, and human rights activists and even the UN representative in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, falsely accusing her of fabricating the 2021 federal election results.

Item Metadata

Title
The Networked Trolling of Critical Journalists and News Organizations in Iraq
Creator
Al-Rawi, Ahmed; Tenove, Chris; Klein, Peter
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2023-11-11
Description
In this study, we have identified a Twitter network of bad actors mostly affiliated with Iraqi militias that are closely connected to the federal Iraqi government. Using disinformation and threats of legal action, these users often target journalists and news organizations that are critical of them. Three datasets were collected totaling about 16,000 tweets by using 6 Arabic hashtags. We found three major themes: public shaming and personal attacks; legal threats and misinformation accusations; and glorifying Shiite heroism and promoting conspiracies. These bad actors also created a coordinated attack against journalists, news organizations, and human rights activists and even the UN representative in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, falsely accusing her of fabricating the 2021 federal election results.
Subject
Iraq; disinformation; armed militias; journalism; Middle East; Global South
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2024-01-25
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0438905
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87380
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Non UBC; Journalism, Writing, and Media, School of; Public Policy and Global Affairs, School of
Citation
Journalism and Media 4 (4): 1130-1140 (2023)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/journalmedia4040072
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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CC BY 4.0