The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a broad criminal investigation into Americans who have collaborated with Russia’s state television networks, marking a strong effort to counter the Kremlin’s influence operations ahead of the upcoming presidential election in November, according to U.S. officials familiar with the inquiry.
Earlier this month, FBI agents searched the homes of two prominent figures linked to Russian state media: Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy, and Dimitri K. Simes, an adviser to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Although no charges have been announced against either individual, prosecutors have not ruled out the possibility, reported the NY Times.
Officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated that more searches are expected, and criminal charges may follow. The investigation comes in response to the Biden administration’s official intelligence findings that Russia’s state news organizations, including the global news channel RT, are working with its intelligence agencies to influence elections worldwide.
These efforts include the upcoming contest between Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. According to officials and public statements, the Kremlin’s propaganda machinery is once again supporting Mr. Trump’s candidacy, creating online news outlets and fake videos to discredit President Biden and, more recently, Ms. Harris.
The investigation is focusing on potential violations of economic sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine and a law requiring the disclosure of lobbying efforts on behalf of foreign governments.
These recent actions start questioning the basic difference between online perception management (OPM), blatant disinformation, and election tampering, where not only various online resources are created, managed, and distributed to support or damage a candidate in an election but also assets on the ground, such as journalists and thought leaders, are recruited to reach the objective.
It has been indicated that the Obama government may have used online perception management to stage-manage the Arab Spring, since which time OPM has been a preferred tool for regime change.
Coming back to the hotly contested 2024 US Presidential elections, while the DOJ is investigating several such claims of Russian influence in its elections, India, on the other hand, just concluded the largest elections in history with strong accusations of the role of Western media in manipulating public opinion.
A study titled “The Invisible Hands: Foreign Interference in Indian Elections 2024,” conducted by the Belgium-based EU Disinfo Lab, analyzed the media coverage of the Indian election season in Western outlets. The study uncovered an “unusual pattern of media coverage attempting to shape a particular narrative and influence voters.” Surprisingly, much of this influence was traced back to French media, specifically through the country’s most influential and widely circulated newspaper, Le Monde.
At the center of this analysis is French political scientist and researcher Christophe Jaffrelot. The report highlights that Le Monde has published several articles authored by Jaffrelot, which focused on themes such as rising Islamophobia in India, the stigmatization of Muslims, the undemocratic nature of India, and the country’s growing authoritarianism.
The study notes an unusually high level of interest in the Indian elections within the French media. Upon analyzing global reports, it was found that Le Monde alone published numerous articles on the Indian elections, often centered around the themes mentioned above.
“The most striking pattern was that op-eds and articles were either written by or based on statements from Christophe Jaffrelot, a French political scientist and researcher,” the EU Disinfo report stated. It also observed that Jaffrelot was a key source for similar articles in other Western media outlets as well as a segment of Indian media.
“As millions of Indians were deciding their future, a section of the global media and academia was orchestrating a sinister plot to influence their decisions through a well-funded and coordinated plan. This influence campaign extended beyond Western media, with many Indian conduits leading the charge. Western media relentlessly criticized everything linked to the elections, from institutions to the climate — one outlet even blamed the Indian Election Commission for holding polls during a harsh summer,” the report added.
The Disinfo Lab Report also pointed out the surprising amount of literature on the caste census originating from France, suggesting that the buzz around the caste census was artificially generated. This buzz was then amplified in India by media outlets sympathetic to the opposition and resonated closely with campaigning content used.
In a report on its website, OpenAI said STOIC, a political campaign management firm in Israel, generated some content on Indian elections alongside content about the Gaza conflict. The target of this content was the ruling party, the BJP. OpenAI announced it shut down the operations in a short time as soon as it came to light.
The recent US episode opens a deeper debate on the thin line between PR, election interference, and propaganda. The line where free speech and campaigning ends, and election interference begins is still defined by the West, and Eastern attempts at curbing the same are countered with accusations of attempts to silence the media.
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