The Infodemic — March 23
Welcome to Coda's Coronavirus Crisis newsletter for March 23. From new fears in Afghanistan to a massive disinformation attack in Moldova, we're tracking the global spread of coronavirus disinformation, and what's been done to combat it. Here are a few narratives - real and fake - that have caught our attention:
“Amid the Chinese anthem playing out in Rome, Italians chanted ‘Grazie, China!” wrote Hua Chunying, the director of the information department for China’s Foreign Ministry, who published a video on her official Twitter account that appeared to show Italians applauding in gratitude to China while the Chinese national anthem played in the streets of the capital.
Italians may be grateful for the humanitarian aid that China has been sending to Italy, but the video is fake: the Chinese anthem has been (rather crudely) edited in.
Italian fact-checking site Pagella Politica investigated the video in collaboration with the Taiwan FactCheck Center.