Thread by @FbdnStories

"In the age of false news": this was the title of Gauri Lankesh's prescient final editorial.

In 2017, Lankesh was shot dead before it went to print. @FbdnStories pursued her work on #disinformation. A #StoryKillers thread. (1/10)

forbiddenstories.org/story-killers/… (by @PhineasJFR)

Lankesh's final editorial was the start of the #StoryKillers project.

A global investigation into disinformation mercenaries that brought together more than 100 journalists from 30 media outlets in more than 20 countries. (2/10)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1624815599296692224

In her editorial, she described how fake news is used as "weapon," and wrote about the "lie-factories" that spread disinformation in #India.

She traced a viral rumor to Postcard News, a local site known to attack journalists and spread falsehoods. (3/10)

Investigating Postcard News, @FbdnStories discovered new ties between this outlet and the ruling BJP party.

In 2021, Mahesh Vikram Hegde founded a PR firm whose additional director is an advisor to the current Chief Minister of the state of #Karnataka. (4/10)

With help from @suryamattu and @mynameisfiber, we also traced a viral video shown to Lankesh's killers as "justification" for her murder, mapping its spread on social media.

digitalwitnesslab.org/news/a-video-h… (5/10)

Lankesh's final words were a call to action for those who investigate disinformation:

“I want to salute all those who expose fake news. I wish there were more of them.” (6/10)

Over the past six months, @FbdnStories and 30 media partners took Lankesh's words to heart, mapping the deadly, growing market for disinformation and manipulation services around the world. (7/10)

According to research from @oiioxford, "organized social media manipulation campaigns" were being operated in more than 80 countries in 2020.

Over the coming days, we will be unmasking some of disinformation's most secretive and powerful mercenaries. (8/10)

From India to South America, to the heart of Europe, these actors manipulate information, seek to sway elections, seed distrust and attack and defame journalists and the press en masse -- amounting to a serious threat to global democracy. (9/10)

forbiddenstories.org/story-killers/

As @mariaressa said, "They use free speech to pound you to silence. I refuse to be silent."

Follow along here in the coming days as we bring you the #StoryKillers project:

forbiddenstories.org/case/story-kil… (10/10)