A video love-in for Putin and Bolsonaro; whispering YouTubers debunk Covid-19 test fears
Welcome to the Infodemic. We are tracking how disinformation is shaping the global pandemic response. Here are the narratives that have grabbed our attention this week and deserve yours.
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When the pandemic hit, the world was stuck indoors — and junk food companies spotted new opportunities for profit, often pursued under the guise of charitable or socially responsible endeavors. A new report by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator details some of the industry’s methods. McDonald’s and Frosted Flakes funded online education platforms, ostensibly aimed at helping kids learn during quarantine but filled with advertising for their products. Burger King promoted its delivery service in Brazil in a PSA asking people to stay home and socially distance. And, from India to South Africa, corporations like Coca-Cola and Nestle donated sugary products to low-income communities ravaged by lockdowns and in need of nutritious food.
Have you heard of the new bromance between Jair Bolsonaro and Vladimir Putin? Social media in Brazil was peppered with memes after the Russian leader praised Bolsonaro’s masculinity during this week's virtual BRICS summit. The group of emerging economies — made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — met on a video chat, at the end of which Putin addressed Bolsonaro directly. “You exhibited the best of masculine qualities and willpower... You are an example for us all,” he said, praising the Brazilian president’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. What makes this even more bizarre is the fact that Brazil has the second-highest coronavirus death toll after the United States, while public health experts have roundly criticized Bolsonaro’s approach. After all that criticism, it’s no wonder that Bolsonaro smiled at Putin’s praise and was quick to post the footage to his 3.9 million YouTube followers.
Does Putin’s applause for Bolsonaro’s pandemic response constitute misinformation? There is no easy answer. Tech platforms are still struggling to navigate the fine line between free speech and fake news. But the pandemic and the U.S. election have forced platforms to take much more aggressive steps, according to NPR. Ripple effects are being felt around the world. While Bolsonaro shared Putin’s glowing approval, the far-right Brazilian philosopher and Bolsonaro’s former guru Olavo de Carvalho tweeted that he can no longer post on his YouTube channel. Carvalho, whose Covid-19 denialist posts had been taken down, says that he is being censored. We are hearing similar complaints from Russia, where authorities filed a complaint to Google after one of the country’s leading television personalities, the prominent Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev, stopped trending on the video-sharing site.