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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UKRAINE-CHINA-TIKTOK (TV)
HEADLINE: Disinformation Aims to Skew Young People's View of War in Ukraine
TEASER: College students in the U.S. are alarmed by false narratives on social media including Chinese-owned video platform TikTok
PUBLISHED AT: Thursday, 04/07/2021 at: 12:07 pm
BYLINE: Ali Siddiqi
CONTRIBUTOR: Lori Rampani
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR: Bakhityar Zamanov/Henry Hernandez
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bowman, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, AFP, Other (see courtesy)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:18
VID APPROVED BY: Sue Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ((There is a companion web article that goes with this story)) ((INTRODUCTION))
[[Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, people have spread information — and misinformation — about the war on social media. For VOA, Ali Siddiqi has the story on how social media posts are affecting the perceptions of young people and beyond.]] ((NARRATOR)) As the world focuses on Russia’s war on Ukraine, another war is being fought — on people’s phones.
[[FOR RADIO: University student, Ryan Locher]]
((Ryan Locher, American University Student)) “I have seen plenty of false narratives out there and plenty of just, like, blatant lies about the conflict, about the context.”
((NARRATOR)) In the information war, TikTok has become a battlefield. Popular with young people, the platform known for dance videos has, for some, become an information source on the war in Ukraine.
With new, unverified content appearing on TikTok by the second, some analysts worry that the platform misleads its users, numbering one billion worldwide.
[[FOR RADIO: With new, unverified content appearing on TikTok by the second, some analysts, including Jessica Brandt of the Brookings Institution, worry that the platform misleads its users, numbering one billion worldwide.]]
((Jessica Brandt, Brookings Institution))
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
“Those [the videos] can be used to enlighten folks on what's really happening on the ground that can be used to verify or sort of add support for, for example, disclosures by intelligence communities and elsewhere. They can also be taken out of context and used to mislead or to disinform. We see all of that happening in this conflict.”
((End Skype))
((NARRATOR))
Students at American University in Washington told VOA they have detected misinformation about the war. Ryan Locher is a TikTok content creator with more than 18-thousand followers. ((Ryan Locher, Student at American University))
“A lot of these theories being spread about the war in Donbas — or Ukraine being filled with neo-Nazis — a lot of it stems from, I guess, people who their politics are entirely anti-American, and that's kind of all that they know. And so they automatically resort to getting their information from sites that are pro-Russia, pro-Iranian, pro-China, et cetera.” ((NARRATOR)) Matthew Lee, a student at American University's School of International Service, doesn’t use TikTok. He worries about Beijing’s influence over the Chinese-owned app. ((Matthew Lee, Student at American University)) “I mean, we see in Chinese social media like a lot of nationalist stuff being said, a lot of pro-Russia stuff being said, and because of how tightly they control everything, it's hard to say whether it really is real people or folks that the Chinese government pays to say things.” ((NARRATOR))
Albina Tokakova, an American University student from Russia, believes both Russia and Ukraine are using TikTok and social media to push their own narratives about the conflict, framing it either as a war against subjugation or one in which Russia is a savior. ((Albina Tokakova, Student at American University))
“I feel like definitely each country is trying to show their perspective and put themselves in that spot of being like they're losing something or they're doing the right thing.
((NARRATOR))
To combat misinformation on social media, the Biden administration has reached out to
TikTok stars to discuss what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine and U.S. goals and policies toward Kyiv and Moscow.
Analysts say the administration hopes the message will reach households in Russia, where the flow of uncensored news has been disrupted.
((Start SKYPE Logo))
((Jessica Brandt, Brookings Institution))
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
“The way that the that the White House really sort of effectively competed in the information domain using truthful information, you know, exposing Russian troop deaths for example, that's another way that the administration is using truthful information to really get out of vulnerability.”
((End Skype)) ((NARRATOR)) TikTok’s user base skews young, making it a potent tool to shape perceptions and opinions when people are most impressionable. Like any social media platform, it can be used to inform or mislead.
((Ali Siddiqi, for VOA News, Washington)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateApril 7, 2022 12:11 EDT
BylineAli Siddiqi
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media, Voice of America - English
