{"id":4731,"date":"2024-04-20T02:57:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T02:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=4731"},"modified":"2024-04-20T02:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T02:57:19","slug":"fact-checker-on-chinas-weibo-targets-us-embassy-russian-state-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=4731","title":{"rendered":"Fact-checker on China’s Weibo targets US Embassy, Russian state media"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\nwashington \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This month, when a story claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had secretly purchased a $24 million castle from the British royal family went viral on China’s Weibo social media platform, something interesting happened.<\/p>\n

A fake-news function on the platform debunked it as misinformation.<\/p>\n

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Chinese social media platforms have been full of pro-Russia false claims and conspiracy theories, some of which the Chinese government has endorsed.<\/p>\n

Influential Chinese nationalist bloggers, as well as Russia’s state media RT, regularly post and spread misinformation<\/a> on Weibo.<\/p>\n

Less than 20 hours after RT posted the misinformation about Zelenskyy, Weibo<\/a> attached a fact-checking note to the post.<\/p>\n

Public criticism of Russian state media is rare in China, but the fact-check function is part of Weibo’s latest effort to regulate misinformation on the site.<\/p>\n

Weibo rolled out the feature, called Side Note, last August. Side Note allows qualified users to submit fact-checking notes on others’ posts for Weibo to review.<\/p>\n

Over the past few months, users have added Side Note to posts from high-profile Weibo bloggers and foreign government-backed accounts, including RT and the U.S. Embassy in China.<\/p>\n

Weibo has tried to appear neutral when deciding what kind of misinformation to fact-check, debunking false claims from both liberal and nationalist influencers.<\/p>\n

But it has also used the feature to push Beijing’s talking points on international issues. So far, Chinese government and state media accounts have not been subject to any fact-checking.<\/p>\n

Weibo’s version of Community Note<\/strong><\/p>\n

In July 2023, China’s internet regulator told social media companies to crack down on false information.<\/p>\n

” ‘Personal media’ that create and publish rumors, stir up hot societal topics or matrix [linked cross-platform] publish and transmit illegal or negative information, creating a vile impact, are all to be closed, included in the platform database of blacklisted accounts, and reported to the internet information departments,” said a memo<\/a> from Central Cyberspace Administration of China.<\/p>\n

A month later, Weibo, one of China’s biggest social media apps with a focus on news and current issues, came out with the Side Note feature.<\/p>\n

Like the Community Note function on X, Side Note lets qualified users take on the job of fact-checking, with Weibo getting the final say on approval or rejection.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\"FILE\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>

\nFILE – Social media applications are displayed on an iPhone, March 13, 2019, in New York.<\/span>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Other U.S. social media firms offer similar features. Facebook and Instagram offer “community standards” and “community guidelines,” respectively, which flag posts containing disinformation.<\/p>\n

But unlike these firms, Weibo itself decides<\/a> which posts stay up.<\/p>\n

The company says it selects qualified users from those with verified identities or high Weibo credit scores and is gradually expanding the feature to include more users.<\/p>\n

Side Note targets US Embassy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since January, posts by the U.S. Embassy in China have been tagged with Side Note at least three times.<\/p>\n

A post detailing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s expressed concerns about China’s religious freedom received two notes, one accusing Blinken of having “no regard for facts.”<\/a><\/p>\n

A February post sanctioning 17 Chinese companies for helping Russia’s war effort in Ukraine got a note that included a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s public remarks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And a post last month condemning Beijing for a collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels got a Side Note message from Shen Yi,<\/a> a prominent Chinese international relations professor with a strong nationalistic leaning. <\/p>\n

In the note, Shen accused the U.S. of spreading misinformation on multiple “global social media platforms” to “smear China’s national image.”<\/p>\n

Chinese government accounts immune<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most posts tagged with Side Note belong to influencers, including nationalist bloggers.<\/p>\n

For example, Shu Chang, who runs the popular nationalist account Guyan Muchan, saw a Side Note added to a post last week claiming that schoolchildren in the U.S. have to learn how to use “bulletproof boards” in classrooms. The Side Note<\/a> clarified that the photos were from a hurricane self-protection exercise.<\/p>\n

In recent years, nationalist bloggers like Shu have become some of the most traffic-drawing opinion leaders on Weibo.<\/p>\n

Eric Liu, who analyzes Chinese censorship at China Digital Times, says one shouldn’t read too much into Weibo fact-checking Shu’s post.<\/p>\n

“A lot of her stuff isn’t state narratives. She sensationalized it herself,” Liu told VOA. “Weibo doesn’t really have to protect her. Plus, [fact-checking her posts] adds to the credibility of the Side Note feature.”<\/p>\n

Liu, who worked as a censor for Weibo and other Chinese internet companies before moving to the U.S., pointed out that Weibo has not used Side Note to fact-check government accounts or false information from state media.<\/p>\n

In a November post, Weibo thanked users<\/a> for submitting Side Notes.<\/p>\n

“Ever since Side Note went online, active participation from every Side Note-er has effectively lowered the negative impact of controversial content and biased information, helping all users access information that’s truer and more comprehensive,” the post said.<\/p>\n

But Liu doesn’t think of Side Note as a feature that truly gives users the power to regulate speech on the platform, because Weibo remains the final arbitrator of what notes can be added to what posts.<\/p>\n

“Weibo’s Side Note isn’t something that netizens can fully edit, as it’s still user-generated content,” he said. “In the end, it still needs to be reviewed by censors.”<\/p>\n

Weibo did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.<\/p>\n

Evie Steele contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
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