An analysis of social networks reveals how Kremlin-backed media outlets boosted xenophobic discourse.
The Russian meddling machine has been focusing on Italy in recent months, conducting a disinformation campaign on the migration situation in order to drum up support for radical parties ahead of the general elections held Sunday.
According to an analysis of 1,055,774 posts from 98,191 social media profiles to which EL PAIS has had access, a network of anti-immigration and anti-NGO activists has been sharing links of stories published mostly by Sputnik, a media organization owned by the Russian government and operating in Italian among other languages, in order to propagate a false image of Italy.
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The analysis concludes that Sputnik Italia has been very influential in radicalizing the public debate over the immigration crisis. Of all foreign media operating in Italy, Sputnik was the second-most influential, following the Italian version of The Huffington Post, according to Alto Dato Analytics, whose algorithms rank websites by user numbers and intensity of shares on social media, much like Google’s algorithms.
Increasingly successful radical speech has replaced nuanced debate, which has been conspicuously absent for months.
The rise of the League, a party with xenophobic tendencies headed by Matteo Salvini and part of a powerful center-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi, or Casa Pound, an openly fascist group that hopes for a spot in parliament, are just two examples.
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Some 90% of those who shared Sputnik content were profiles who regularly disseminate anti-immigration messages in Italian, according to the publication.