Disinfo Docket 26 February

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Highlights

The White House said Wednesday its officials “will decide” which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close, breaking from a tradition where an independently chosen press pool follows the president and holds him accountable on behalf of the American public. pic.twitter.com/kNNu01TN6M

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 25, 2025

1. In Eastern Europe, freeze on US aid leaves door open to Russian disinformation (IJNet, 25 February)
2. After German election win, can Merz deliver leadership at home and in Europe? (Chatham House, 25 February)
3. Ukrainian government, Belarusian opposition targeted in new espionage campaign (The Record, 26 February)
4. How common is it for democracies to postpone elections during wartime? (Full Fact, 20 February)
5. Europe is only as weak as it thinks it is (ASPI, 26 February)

1. Academia & Research

1. Evaluating the Knowledge and Information-Seeking Behaviors of People Living With Multiple Sclerosis: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study (JMIR, 25 February)
2. The development of media truth discernment and fake news detection is related to the development of reasoning during adolescence (Nature, 26 February)
3. MAGA media’s rising influence with the Trump administration (Media Matters for America, 26 February)

2. Platforms & Technology

1. Assuring Inclusive AI: Reviewing Evidence as a Call to Inclusive AI Action (Tech Policy Press, 26 February)
2. Elon Musk’s Grok AI was specifically instructed not to say he spread misinformation (The Independent, 24 February)
3. As Meta gets rid of fact-checkers, misinformation is going viral (Tech Crunch, 24 February)

3. Russia & Ukraine

1. Will a new Russia reset prove more successful than earlier attempts? (Atlantic Council, 25 February)
2. How the West lost the war it thought it had won (Coda Story, 24 February)
3. Split the EU: a constant priority of the Kremlin (EUvsDisinfo, 26 February)

WATCH - BBC Verify: How much has the US spent on aid to Ukraine? (BBC, 26 February)