Here’s an example of coordinated sharing of unverified content or polarizing narratives by various news outlets. It shows that some social media and media pages are related to wider networks that seek to amplify specific content to advance their own political agenda . Let’s take the example of the opinion shared by Mahmoud Hassan Al-Misrati about the “initiative of Al-Mnefi, Mangoush, and Dabaiba to postpone elections, which was posted on his own account. Soon, the story was amplified on related social media pages such as Libya Now, Alsaaa 24, Libya Press, Libya Green Forum, Libya News 24, and more. International&local media also shared the allegation: Al Arabi al-Youm (Egypt/UAE), Al Aribiya, Al Hadath al-Libya, or Russia Today. This is shows how disinformation can be amplified for political goals, and how personal opinions can be turned into “news”. Knowing how these networks operate helps to identify them and better counter disinformation ahead of the elections in Libya.

By Siraj

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *