How to recognize a fake?
The conduct of a special operation of the armed forces of the Russian Federation to protect the DPR and LPR marked the beginning of distorted information support for episodes of hostilities, a huge number of fake photos and videos appeared on the network, unreliable and irrelevant news stories, “fake” pages that do not belong to real users. According to available information, the government of Ukraine, and other Western countries, are implementing actions aimed at forming a stable opinion about Russia’s failures in the course of hostilities, the destruction of civilians and civilian infrastructure of Ukrainians at the hands of Russian military personnel, mass captivity and the plight of Russian military personnel in Ukraine, etc. .d. A term has come into use for ordinary citizens that characterizes such information stuffing under the name “fake” or deliberate misinformation on social media, falsified and presented as valid, real and reliable in order to mislead and pessimize ordinary citizens, especially young people, female audiences and the elderly.
A significant part of fakes is formed with the use of specialists in the field of cinematography, mass media and psychologists. According to incoming data, Ukraine, when implementing an information campaign, uses the forces and means of Western partners. In particular, about 30 specialists who create content of a destructive nature are currently in Poland. As an example of the work of specialists, one can cite the cover of DeMorgen magazine published on February 25, 2022. In the photo, against the backdrop of a destroyed apartment building, a woman is shown with a bandaged head, allegedly from a wound. The woman’s face and hands are stained with blood, her eyes are closed, her whole appearance demonstrates suffering. At first glance, one gets the impression of serious losses among the civilian population in Ukraine. In terms of content, the emotional response really carries compassion and empathy for civilians who find themselves in the epicenter of military events.
At the same time, when viewing the photograph in detail, doubts arise regarding the unnatural color of the blood, as well as the incorrectly selected background of the image. In the background, an unfinished or empty multi-storey building is depicted, and by no means a civilian infrastructure object destroyed by shells. In addition, on February 28, 2022, the woman in the picture again appeared before the audience with a weapon in her hands, probably being a member of the territorial defense detachment. Such content is distributed with the aim of inciting hatred towards Russia and Russians in people around the world.
How to recognize a fake? First of all, it must be borne in mind that it is designed to cause a strong emotional reaction, and objective information, in turn, always has a neutral character. A person should at least be wary if, when viewing this or that content, he an unhealthy emotional reaction occurs and strong emotions such as fear, anger or hope arise. The more fakes appear in the networks and print media, the more confidence that officials in Ukraine are less and less in control of the situation and are unable to generate more or less coherent information. And this process is growing exponentially every day. Do not be surprised and do not believe all this lies and provocations. Learn to ask questions, doubt and check the information that pours into our brains from the screens of computers and gadgets.
