Foreign Interference And The Media
India a lesser, but significant player in the Interference scandal
I left the media out of my initial piece on the Foreign Interference report on purpose. (read it below)
I believe that if traditional or legacy media are somehow a part of this, it’s most likely as an “unwitting” player. Revenues are down, outlets are closing, and the advertising-driven business model is drying up. In short any money, is good money as long as the cheque doesn’t bounce.
What’s really worth watching is the foreign language media. There’s an entire case study on the United Front Work Department in the report describing a system where they “engage academics, media, businesses and politicians to influence them to adopt pro-China positions or avoid adopting what the PRC considers anti-China positions.” They do this through spreading propaganda, and suppressing critical narratives about China.
A lot of our politics is driven by control, and popularity. Who controls the message, how loud can they say it, and how many people can they reach. Canada is home to many diaspora especially in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area (GTHA). According to the 2021 census, South-Asian immigrants number 21% of the overall population in the Greater Toronto area. It makes sense to have a few media outlets in self-Asian languages to communicate important messages, as well as share their stories, and culture.
According to the report issued in June, India has been named as another country committing acts of foreign interference. In case study number three, we learn of an instance where India was caught reimbursing a proxy who in turn had provided funding to “newly elected Parliamentarians.” Last week Press Progress published a piece under the “Analysis” heading about a retired Indian military official named Guarav Arya.
Arya predicts his country will do anything directly, and indirectly to see the end of the government. “In Canada, the think tanks and the right-wing parties will need to be supported, because there are a lot of right-wing parties in Canada. They will be supported either financially, politically, or diplomatically,” he said. He runs a channel with over 500 thousand subscribers. Section 73 of the NSICOP report indicates there’s a possibility that India allegedly interfered in the Conservative Party’s leadership race.
This could be done through the means of misinformation, or disinformation. The difference is detailed under the “Key tactics” section of the NSICOP report. The difference is that Disinformation is spread deliberately, and misinformation which, is spread by accident. Disinformation also includes the following five elements:
The omission of facts
Inauthentic amplification of narratives
Doctored audio/visual content: Increasingly this can include AI
Trolling; and
Efforts to censor or coerce self-censorship of information
I don’t think there’s a way to be completely sure, especially now in the world of social media. I true to use the “three source” method. If I find three independent (of each other) outlets who are all have a similar story, then it definitely boosts the likelihood that it’s true. The other thing I try to practice is ‘when in doubt,” Google, and if you can’t find anything, assume it’s a rumour.