Report: FBI Catches Another Russian-Made Fake News Site Targeting U.S. Voters

Topline

The Kremlin-backed group accused of meddling in the 2016 election has been paying American writers to publish articles slamming Joe Biden, praising President Trump and criticizing Black Lives Matter for a faux conservative news site, according to a Thursday Reuters report, the second such Russian attempt to sow division among U.S. voters ahead of the election.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 16, 2020: A view of St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, and the … [+] Spasskaya Tower in Moscow’s Red Square.

Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS Key Facts

In this most recent effort, individuals associated with the Internet Research Agency set up a fake independent news outlet in June to target right-wing social media users, two people  familiar with an FBI probe into the activity told Reuters.

The site, the Newsroom for American and European Based Citizens (NAEBC), republished articles from other conservative outlets and reportedly hired real American journalists to write about hot-button political issues. 

These articles were then shared to social media by a network of accounts posing as journalists and editors in an attempt to reach right-wing voters. 

Articles attacking Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, criticizing Black Lives Matter, praising President Trump and defending Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with shooting three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, populate the site. 

Current frontpage headlines include “BASED in Reality: Sleepy Joe set Politics back 180 years!,” “Donald Trump Paid Zero Taxes? Good For Him,” “The Five Strategic Goals Trump Masterfully Achieved in the First Presidential Debate” and “Biden Foundation Promoted Transgenderism for 18-Month-Old Babies” 

While the phony news site reportedly failed to attract much attention on mainstream social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), which according to The Daily Beast took down its accounts after the Reuters report, NAEBC did generate some buzz on Gab and Parler, platforms popular among conservative groups. 

Key Background

This is the second time this Kremlin-backed group has attempted to reach U.S. voters through a fake news site in the past few months. In early September, Facebook identified and shut down a network of accounts and pages driving traffic to a left-leaning site, entitled Peace Data, which featured profiles of fake people made to look like the site’s editors who were used to recruit real writers for articles. The articles posted to Peace Data, while predominantly a-political, seemed intent on dividing Democrats through portraying the Biden-Harris ticket as a tool of conservatives.

Crucial Quote

Two journalists spoke to Forbes about how they were recruited to write for Peace Data, explaining, in hindsight, they noticed some red flags. “Two of their editors had very similar pictures. Their [avatars], Twitter profiles, they looked like identical twins,” said one freelance writer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of further career repercussions. They would also “send an email and an ‘s’ would be left off a word,” he said. “It’s kind of a surreal experience to think you’re caught up in a Russian intelligence operation. I think I pretty much ruined my career.”

Further Reading 

“Exclusive: Russian operation masqueraded as right-wing news site to target U.S. voters – sources” (Reuters) 

‘There Were A Few Red Flags’: Journalists Explain How They Were Duped To Work On A Russian Disinformation Campaign” (Forbes) 

“Russia Interferes With U.S. Election Again—Targeting Biden Voters This Time—Facebook Data Shows” (Forbes)