Several news websites, masquerading under names that imply they are American local news outlets, have recently surfaced. However, the sites are creations of Russian origin designed to disseminate Russian propaganda alongside genuine news stories, according to The New York Times.
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The websites bear names such as “D.C. Weekly,” “New York News Daily,” “Chicago Chronicle” and “Miami Chronicle.”
While these sites mimic authentic American journalism, they display characteristics indicative of fraudulent intent, including incomplete sections and the use of placeholder text.
In total, there are at least five of these counterfeit news sites, marking a technological advancement in Russian efforts to sway public opinion in the United States during a presidential election year.
Experts and officials speculate that this campaign is associated with the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin previously controlled the Internet Research Agency and died in a plane crash last August. Officials assert that Prigozhin’s media empire interfered in America’s 2016 presidential election, and that the Kremlin continues to allocate resources and effort toward information warfare.
These websites, all utilizing WordPress and similar designs, blend authentic news with propaganda to project an air of credibility. By adopting the guise of genuine news outlets, they aim to deceive unsuspecting readers who rely on local news sources.
Experts caution that these tactics likely foreshadow interference in the upcoming election cycle.
