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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The questionable experts with the Global Fact-Checking Network, Russia's verification organisation
Russian organisation the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), which was launched in April 2025, claims to fight disinformation. But a number of the 60-odd members of the network regularly share disinformation online. We take a look. It was to be a platform 'uniting experts dedicated to exposing unreliable information', according to the spokesperson for the Russian ministry of foreign affairs, Maria Zakharova. On April 9, she announced during a press conference the launch of the Global Fact-checking Network (GFCN), a platform promoting the verification of information 'that fosters an honest and open approach to fact-checking'. And yet, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the GFCN is the 'Kremlin's latest propaganda tool'. 'This initiative is part of a well-established Kremlin strategy: mimicking independent institutions to better spread its propaganda,' the international non-profit dedicated to press freedom said in a report published on June 24 about the GFCN. GFCN is upfront that it wants to serve as a counterpoint to Western fact-checking services, including the International Fact-checking Network (IFCN), an initiative founded in 2015 that brings together 170 fact-checking organisations [including our team at the FRANCE 24 Observers] from across the world around a shared code of ethics about fact-checking practices. At first glance, GFCN seems to resemble a fact-checking organisation like IFCN: the network has, for example, a 'code of responsible fact-checking", which includes values like objectivity and impartiality and the use of verified data. Since early June, it has also offered courses on fact-checking techniques as well as an "international contest" to help people learn to better detect AI-generated videos. Co-founded by Tass and an NGO under sanction However, critics of GFCN say that the organisations behind it aren't necessarily poster children for these values. GFCN was cofounded by the Russian state press agency TASS, the New Media School – a government-run training programme for Russian journalists – and the NGO Ano Dialog. A number of specialists and Western governments have described this NGO, which is currently under US sanctions, as being closely linked to the Kremlin – as well as a number of different disinformation operations. Its director general, Vladimir Tabak, who has been placed under sanctions by a number of Western countries, is now president of GFCN as well. Maxime Audinet and Colin Gérard, researchers specialised in Russian influence, say that Tabak is one of the main actors in the disinformation operation Doppelgänger, which creates fake websites that resemble Western news outlets to share false information. 'Our goal within the Network is to unite experts, journalists, and media representatives who are ready to jointly defend the right to reliable information,' said Tabak in mid-July 2025. At that point, GFCN was made up of 65 members from 40 different countries. Eight fake news items in 12 days However, a number of the experts who appear on GFCN's website regularly share false information online and draw from unverified, unsourced content. "Many of the voices on this list are extremely biased and lack legitimacy,' says Darren Linvill, a professor at Clemson University in the United States and author of a number of reports about Russian online disinformation networks. When our team took a look at the X account of Tim Anderson, the first name on the list of so-called experts, we noticed a number of fake news items on his feed. Anderson used to be a professor at an Australian university and founded an organisation called the Center for Counter Hegemonic Studies. From our count, Anderson shared eight false news items during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June. Among the fake news items he shared that are still online: images taken from video games or generated by artificial intelligence that Anderson claimed were proof that Iran had shot down Israeli F-35 bombers. And yet, as our team reported, there is still no viable proof to date that Iran downed any of these planes. Anderson also shared a video that claimed that Mossad chief David Barnea had died – which is also not true. These errors run counter to GFCN's purported code, which stipulates that it is important to 'verify information sources to make sure that they are reliable and authentic'. You can see our analysis of the eight fake news items shared by Anderson by following this link. Other GFCN experts have also shared false claims based on unverified sources. Pakistani journalist Furqan Rao, for example, shared on two separate occasions photos that were either false or taken out of context about the conflict between India and Pakistan last May. In one case, he shared a video of a military simulation game that made it look like Pakistan had destroyed a military base. He also shared a video filmed in Dubai in 2021 and falsely claimed that it showed a cache of Indian missiles that had been targeted. He did not publish corrections about his posts. The list of experts also includes people who are not journalists, like Roigar López Rivas. GFCN says that López Rivas is the president of the National Institute for the Development of Small and Medium Industry in Venezuela. Yet he appeared on a panel of experts at a GFCN event held in June. Between November 2023 and July 2025, this fervent supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro got 33 Community Notes – notes added by users of the platform X to add context to false or misleading posts –, according to the tool Community-Notes-Leaderboard. These notes include a false montage criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a false poster calling for the FBI to capture Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido – which was investigated by our fact-checking partner IFCN Cazadores – as well as a video that he claimed was a strike on Moscow and which was actually an Iranian strike on Israel. Experts with links to 'Storm-1516' GFCN's list of experts also includes names of people known to work within other pro-Russian online disinformation networks. This includes Dutch independent journalist Sonja Van den Ende and Brazilian analyst Lucas Leiroz, both identified by the Clemson Institute or the French government agency for the defence against foreign digital interference Viginum as important figures within the Russian disinformation operation "Storm-1516". Storm-1516 is a complex operation whose main aim is to spread false information, primarily about the war in Ukraine and Western countries. They employ various methods of dissemination, but most often transmit these stories through fake news sites or websites that regularly share fake news. Both Sonja Van den Ende and Lucas Leiroz shared eight different narratives from this operation between 2023 and 2024, according to a report from the Clemson Institute. One that they shared was a fake news story from a Nigerian media outlet claiming that Zelensky had purchased a house in Egypt. Though Zelensky denied this and numerous fact-checking articles were published debunking this story, their X posts featuring the fake news story are still online (see links here and here). Leiroz is also known for his work in the BRICS Journalists Association (BJA), which claims to represent non-Western journalists. However, this organisation was just placed under European sanctions on July 15 for 'disseminating pro-Russian narratives and disinformation under the guise of independent journalism' following reports describing the involvement of several BJA members in Storm-1516. Leiroz has also publicly defended Irish RT journalist Chay Bowes, who is considered one of the main actors within Operation Storm-1516, as our team has documented on numerous occasions. "Russia's main success is that it has managed to build up a collection of voices that disseminate false information and give it legitimacy,' says Linvill, who describes organisations like the BRICS Journalists Association as 'tools for legitimising disinformation', in the same way as GFCN. Chay Bowes also has the support of Timofey V, whose real name is Vasiliev. Vasiliev, who is presented on GFCN's site as the head of the NGO ANO Dialog, is also behind the media outlet War on Fakes, which disseminated Russian propaganda under the guise of fact-checking. In February 2025, Timofey V shared a fake video posted by Bowes about an alleged electoral fraud carried out against the far-right German political party AfD. Our fact-checking colleagues at AFP Factuel reported that this video was staged. Our team contacted GFCN, which said that 'the experts in the articles posted under the aegis of GFCN respect the ethical and professional norms outlined in the Code of the association.' 'Communicating' on the international level "GFCN is not a structure that operates independently from the rest of the Russian influence network,' Pauline Maufrais, the RSF Regional Officer for Ukraine and author of the report on GFCN, told our team. "We see the same figures from the pro-Kremlin propaganda, who have been bouncing around in these circles for years and who pop up again when there are new projects.' Another GFCN participant is the media outlet International Reporters, founded in late 2023. This project is primarily run by French journalist Christelle Néant, who has been working in the Donbass region since 2016 and speaks out against what she says are Western 'lies' about Russia. Linvill says that the choice to bring in influential figures from across the globe is part of Russia's strategy of global influence. "Russia is very talented at giving the impression of being inclusive,' he says. 'This serves several functions – not only does this give them a good image, but it also enables them to communicate effectively in these communities.' "It's not insignificant that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is so involved,' Maufrais says. "The aim is to go and find new audiences to share their narrative with the aim of being visible on the international stage.' Russian embassies in Bangladesh and South Africa have also been known to tout the GFCN. An African press agency that has bought into GFCN The African Initiative, a Russian press agency created in 2023 that aims to be the main 'information bridge between Russia and Africa', joined the list of GFCN participating organisations – another sign of the collaboration between different bodies of Russian influence. The structure is an agency that promotes anti-Western and pro-Kremlin propaganda across the African continent, according to a report published by Viginum and the European External Action Service (SEAE) in May 2025. Like GFCN, the African Initiative also offers training sessions about disinformation so that it can 'independently counter the propaganda imposed by the West'. "Most Russian disinformation and propaganda aims to delegitimize the West politically, culturally, and institutionally,' says Linvill. "An organisation like the GFCN does these three things at once.'
Euronews
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Why is Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' shoot accused of colonialism?
Oscar-winning British-American director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception, Oppenheimer) has been accused of 'violating ethical standards' by the organisers of the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara). Nolan has been shooting part of his upcoming film The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem starring Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Zendaya, in the Western Saharan coastal city of Dakhla, which has been under Moroccan occupation for 50 years. The organisers of FiSahara have warned that this move on Nolan's behalf could serve to normalise decades of repression and help whitewash the Moroccan occupation. 'By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory… Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara,' said María Carrión, FiSahara's executive director. 'We are sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile film in a territory whose Indigenous peoples cannot make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.' Western Sahara is a disputed territory and is classified as 'non-self-governing' by the United Nations. Home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people, it is the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its land. Amnesty International said in a recent report that the 'authorities continued to restrict dissent and the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in Western Sahara'. Reporters Without Borders has described Western Sahara as a 'desert for journalists' and said that 'torture, arrests, physical abuse, persecution, intimidation, harassment, slander, defamation, technological sabotage, and lengthy prison sentences are daily fare for Sahrawi journalists'. FiSahara said it was calling on Nolan and his crew and cast to 'stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been under military occupation for 50 years and who are routinely imprisoned and tortured for their peaceful struggle for self-determination'. Une publication partagée par Javier Bardem (@bardemantarctic) Actor Javier Bardem, who has appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival's statement on his Instagram with the caption: 'For 50 years, Morocco has occupied Western Sahara, expelling the Sahrawi people from their cities. Dakhla is one of them, converted by the Moroccan occupiers into a tourist destination and now a film set, always with the aim of erasing the Sahrawi identity of the city. Another illegal occupation, another repression against a people, the Sahrawi, unjustly plundered with the approval of Western governments, including the Spanish. #FreeSaharaNow.' Nolan has yet to comment. The Odyssey has a budget of $250 million - the most expensive film of Nolan's career – and is shot entirely using Imax cameras, making it the first film to do so. It is set for a theatrical release on 17 July 2026.
News18
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Christopher Nolan Faces Backlash Over Filming The Odyssey In Disputed Western Sahara
Christopher Nolan faces criticism for filming The Odyssey in Western Sahara, a disputed territory. Activists and human rights groups urge solidarity with the Sahrawi people. Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan is facing mounting criticism over his decision to shoot parts of his upcoming film The Odyssey in Western Sahara, a territory considered 'non-self-governing" by the United Nations and largely controlled by Morocco. While anticipation around Nolan's adaptation of Homer's Greek epic remains high, his choice of location has drawn sharp condemnation from activists, film bodies, and human rights groups. According to Variety, key portions of the film were shot in the city of Dakhla, situated in the Moroccan-administered Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region. However, Dakhla is also located within the borders of Western Sahara — a region with a long-standing and unresolved colonial legacy, and home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people who have been seeking independence for decades. The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which operates out of Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, publicly urged Nolan and his team to cease filming in the region. 'Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarised city whose Indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression by the Moroccan occupation forces," the festival said in a statement. Calling the production's presence 'a form of complicity," the festival further stated, 'stop filming in Dakhla and stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been under military occupation for 50 years and who are routinely imprisoned and tortured for their peaceful struggle for self-determination." Sahara director Mara Carrin added, 'By filming part of 'The Odyssey' in an occupied territory classified as a 'journalistic desert' by Reporters Without Borders, Nolan and his team, perhaps unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara. We're sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile movie in a territory whose Indigenous peoples are unable to make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified." Actor Javier Bardem, a past participant in FiSahara, also voiced his support by sharing the statement on Instagram. He wrote, 'For 50 years, Morocco has occupied Western Sahara, expelling the Sahrawi people from their cities. Dakhla is one of them, converted by the Moroccan occupiers into a tourist destination and now a film set, always with the aim of erasing the Sahrawi identity of the city. Another illegal occupation, another repression against a people, the Sahrawi, unjustly plundered with the approval of Western governments, including the Spanish. Free Sahara Now (sic)." The Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front — the Sahrawi nationalist movement that seeks independence — also released a strongly worded response, calling Nolan's production 'a dangerous form of cultural normalisation with the occupation" and 'an unethical exploitation of art and cinema to whitewash the image of a colonial situation." However, not everyone views the development negatively. Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center defended the decision, telling Medias24, 'Dakhla will indeed offer extraordinary opportunities in the future to foreign productions which will find geography very different from other regions of Morocco." He noted that Nolan's film marks the first major Hollywood production to film in the area, which he described as 'extremely important." The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and others, has also been shot across Greece, Italy, and other Moroccan regions. The film is scheduled for a global theatrical release on July 17, 2026. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Christopher Nolan faces backlash for filming The Odyssey in disputed Western Sahara: ‘Contributing to the repression…'
Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, which stars Matt Damon and Tom Holland, is off to a rocky start. The filmmaker is facing backlash for filming his next project in disputed Western Sahara, with people saying he is fueling 'brutal repression unknowingly'. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is set to premiere on July 17, 2026. Christopher Nolan faces criticism Nolan is facing criticism for filming parts of his upcoming The Odyssey in the Western Sahara, 70% of which is occupied by Morocco. Earlier this month, the director filmed for four days near the coastal city of Dakhla. Western Sahara is a disputed territory and is classified as 'non-self-governing' by the United Nations. Last week, after the shoot had wrapped in the region, the Western Sahara International Film Festival (aka FiSahara) released a statement asking Nolan to stop production. 'Dakhla is not just a beautiful location with cinematic sand dunes. Primarily, it is an occupied, militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subject to brutal repression by occupying Moroccan forces,' the festival said. 'By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory billed as a 'news black hole' by Reporters Without Borders, Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwillingly, are contributing to the repression of the Sahrawi people by Morocco, and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara,' said FiSahara Executive Director María Carrión. In a statement, FiSahara continued: 'We are sure that were they to understand the full implications of filming such a high-profile film in a territory whose indigenous peoples are unable to make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.' 'Morocco routinely touts Sahrawi cultural expressions as uniquely Moroccan. They created a film festival in Dakhla to counter ours, and produce high-budget films that portray Western Sahara as part of Morocco. However, Sahrawis trying to make films about their lives are persecuted and must work clandestinely and at great risk to themselves and their families,' read the note. Actor Javier Bardem, who has appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival's statement on his Instagram. Representatives for Universal and Nolan have not commented on the stir yet. About The Odyssey Based on Homer's epic Odyssey, the Christopher Nolan film will chronicle the journey of Odysseus, the mythical king of Ithaca, and his perilous return home after the Trojan War. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, along with Tom Holland as his son Telemachus. The rest of the star-studded cast includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, and Elliot Page. The film is set to premiere on July 17, 2026.
India Today
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Christopher Nolan faces backlash for filming The Odyssey in disputed Western Sahara
Director Christopher Nolan has drawn criticism for filming certain portions of his upcoming epic-drama 'The Odyssey' in the Western Sahara. He has sparked controversy as 70% of the region is occupied by has shot the movie in the city of Dakhla, which has been deemed the capital of the Moroccan administrative region of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, as reported by Variety. Western Sahara is considered a disputed territory which has been classified as "non-self-governing" by the United Nations. The 'The Odyssey' director has come under scrutiny since the region is home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people. Western Sahara is the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence, with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its to the Variety report, the Western Sahara International Film Festival (aka FiSahara) — which takes place in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria — put out a statement urging Nolan to halt production in the region. The festival's statement read, "Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarised city whose Indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression by the Moroccan occupation forces." The statement further stated that the production should, "stop filming in Dakhla and stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been under military occupation for 50 years and who are routinely imprisoned and tortured for their peaceful struggle for self-determination."The festival director, Mara Carrin, further said, "By filming part of 'The Odyssey' in an occupied territory classified as a 'journalistic desert' by Reporters Without Borders, Nolan and his team, perhaps unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara. We're sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile movie in a territory whose Indigenous peoples are unable to make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified."Actor Javier Bardem, who had appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival's statement on his Instagram handle. His caption read, "For 50 years, Morocco has occupied Western Sahara, expelling the Sahrawi people from their cities. Dakhla is one of them, converted by the Moroccan occupiers into a tourist destination and now a film set, always with the aim of erasing the Sahrawi identity of the city. Another illegal occupation, another repression against a people, the Sahrawi, unjustly plundered with the approval of Western governments, including the Spanish. Free Sahara Now (sic)."The Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front, the nationalist Sahrawi group seeking to end the occupation through armed resistance, also issued a statement. It read, "This act constitutes a dangerous form of cultural normalisation with the occupation, and an unethical exploitation of art and cinema to whitewash the image of a colonial situation that is still imposed by force and met daily with the steadfast resistance of a people struggling for freedom and dignity."However, Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center told a local outlet, Medias24, last week that the production filming in Dakhla is "extremely important." He argued that this marks the first major Hollywood production to do so. "Dakhla will indeed offer extraordinary opportunities in the future to foreign productions which will find geography very different from other regions of Morocco," he Odyssey', is adapted from Homer's ancient Greek epic poem has also been filmed in Morocco, Greece and Italy. It features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and others in key movie is set for a theatrical release on July 17, 2026.- EndsTrending Reel
