Coverage dated October 6, 2023 to October 13, 2023

Social media disinformation spreads amid war in Israel

Headline from CBS News, on the newest of 4 developments

Just dozens of accounts have shared disinformation about the war in Israel and Gaza that has received millions of views.

CBS News's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Developments in this update

4 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.

  1. Detangling the online disinformation about the war between Israel and Hamas

    Headline from NPR ·

  2. Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk’s X is the most egregious

    Headline from Anchorage Daily News ·

  3. Pro-Hamas narratives on social media getting pushed by fake accounts firm says

    Headline from FOX Business ·

  4. Newest

    Social media disinformation spreads amid war in Israel

    Headline from CBS News ·

1 report not tied to one development ·

Reports & sources

31 articles, oldest first.

  1. NBC News

    Misinformation about Israel and Hamas is spreading on social media (opens NBC News)

    Published

    NBC News's feed description

    Many of the misleadingly labeled videos were shared by verified users on X, who are eligible for monetization of their content.

  2. NPR

    Detangling the online disinformation about the war between Israel and Hamas (opens NPR)

    Published

    NPR's feed description

    Misinformation about the war between Israel and Hamas is spreading on social media. Videos are being taken out of context or mischaracterized.

  3. Washington Examiner

    Israel war: How Hamas terrorists used little-known social media platform to spread messages (opens Washington Examiner)

    Published

    Washington Examiner's feed description

    Telegram has become an outlet for Hamas terrorists to share their videos, statements, and other information as social media platforms have blocked accounts aligned with the terrorist organization.

  4. Politico

    Hamas uses social media to incite fear, researchers find (opens Politico)

    Published

    Politico's feed description

    The Palestinian militant group spread violent images and propaganda on platforms like Telegram and X in the wake of its brutal attack on Israel.

  5. Quartz

    Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk's X is the most egregious (opens Quartz)

    Published

    Quartz's feed description

    While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world

  6. The Guardian

    How Israel-Hamas war disinformation is being spread online (opens The Guardian)

    Published

    The Guardian's feed description

    Case of footage from set of Palestinian film being repurposed to make false claims is far from one-off

  7. Anchorage Daily News

    Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is flooding social media. Here are the facts. (opens Anchorage Daily News)

    Published

    Anchorage Daily News's feed description

    While plenty of real imagery and accounts of the carnage have emerged, they have been intermingled with users pushing false claims and misrepresenting videos from other events.

  8. Al Jazeera

    Social media platforms swamped with fake news on the Israel-Hamas war (opens Al Jazeera)

    Published

    Al Jazeera's feed description

    Of all platforms, Elon Musk’s X appears to have had the worst outbreak of fake news related to the war.

  9. ABC 27 Harrisburg

    Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is flooding social media. Here are the facts (opens ABC 27 Harrisburg)

    Published

    ABC 27 Harrisburg's feed description

    In the days since Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday morning, a flood of videos and photos purporting to show the conflict have filled social media, making it difficult …

  10. Voice of America

    Reporters Covering Israel-Hamas Conflict Must Wade Through Torrent of Disinformation (opens Voice of America)

    Published

    Voice of America's feed description

    As Hamas militants and rockets entered Israel Saturday, so too did a barrage of disinformation. The conflict is being fought not only on the ground but also on the internet. VOA’s Robin Guess has the story. Liam Scott contributed to this report.

  11. Triblive

    Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Elon Musk's X is the most egregious (opens Triblive)

    Published

    Triblive's feed description

    While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting …

  12. Honolulu Star-Advertiser

    Musk’s X amplifies misinformation about Israel-Gaza war (opens Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

    Published

    Honolulu Star-Advertiser's feed description

    While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting …

  13. FOX Business

    Pro-Hamas narratives on social media getting pushed by fake accounts firm says (opens FOX Business)

    Published

    FOX Business's feed description

    An analysis by Cyabra found that 25% of pro-Hamas social media accounts active following the terror group's attack on Israel came from fake profiles pushing certain narratives.

  14. Hawaiitribune Herald

    Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk’s X is the most egregious - Hawaii Tribune-Herald (opens Hawaiitribune Herald)

    Published

    Hawaiitribune Herald's feed description

    While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting …

  15. Las Vegas Review-Journal

    Social media awash in misinformation, but Musk’s X is the most egregious (opens Las Vegas Review-Journal)

    Published

    Las Vegas Review-Journal's feed description

    While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has ...

  16. The Conversation US

    Israel-Gaza conflict: when social media fakes are rampant, news verification is vital (opens The Conversation US)

    Published

    The Conversation US's feed description

    An onslaught of fake videos on social media is relaying confusing and deliberately misleading information about the Israel-Gaza conflict.

  17. Insider

    We've been posting our way through the Israel-Hamas war. But should we be? (opens Insider)

    Published

    Insider's feed description

    Social media is full of hot takes and misinformation on the Israel-Hamas war. Experts say the platforms lend themselves to "dumbing down" the conflict.

  18. Poynter

    Amid images and news of actual war, false and misleading claims about Israel-Hamas thrive (opens Poynter)

    Published

    Poynter's feed description

    In the days since Hamas militants launched an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, online misinformation has distorted the facts around the conflict.

  19. Time

    How Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Is Spreading Online (opens Time)

    Published

    Time's feed description

    Experts say social media platforms have been flooded with false claims, adding to the confusion about what is happening on the ground.

  20. CBS News

    Social media disinformation spreads amid war in Israel (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    Just dozens of accounts have shared disinformation about the war in Israel and Gaza that has received millions of views.

  21. Rolling Stone

    Israel-Hamas Misinformation Is Rampant. Here's a Guide to What's Out There (opens Rolling Stone)

    Published

    Rolling Stone's feed description

    Social media platforms are struggling to keep up with the influx of misleading or outright false posts going viral about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East

  22. The World from PRX

    Violence and disinformation rampant on social media in Israel-Hamas War (opens The World from PRX)

    Published

    The World from PRX's feed description

    Journalists and researchers say they're having a more difficult time than ever clamping down on the spread of misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war. Rebecca Rosman reports that the disinformation is diffused across social media platforms, but experts point to one culprit in particular: X, former…

  23. Relevant Magazine

    Misinformation About Israel and Gaza Are Rampant on Social Media - RELEVANT (opens Relevant Magazine)

    Published

    Relevant Magazine's feed description

    In the digital age, where information is instant and omnipresent, Twitter has traditionally been the go-to hub for breaking news. But recent events

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Social media disinformation spreads amid war in Israel | Since Then