The Crazier, The Better: How Fake News Spreads from Tiny Telegram Groups to the Israeli Mainstream
‘The Shin Bet tried to topple Bibi,’ ‘Shikma Bressler’s husband spoke to Sinwar’ and ‘Yair Golan knew about October 7 in advance.’ Hard as it is to believe, the fake news, conspiracy theories and spin that drive Israelis to distraction start life on Telegram channels with barely any subscribers, which were set up to promote a single issue – like anti vaxxers, deep state and poisoned water. From there, the palpable falsehoods go through two more stations – medium-sized platforms and then larger groups, usually identified with a right-wing agenda.Then, they reach politicians and public figures, who amplify them to their hundreds of thousands of followers. The people behind these fake reports don’t care about harming the national interest or officials. For them, the wilder a claim is, the further it spreads. A Shomrim investigation
February 5, 2024
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