“FAKE: Crimean self-defense units take over parliament building; Pro actor used as witness.”
“Ukrainians massively flee to Russia – FAKE.”
“FAKE: China backs Russia’s aggression in Crimea.”
These are headlines splashed across the homepage of stopfake.org, a week-old crowdsourced journalism project that was launched to fight the erroneous information that's spreading over the Internet during Ukraine’s crisis in Crimea.
Like a Snopes for Ukraine, StopFake’s main objective is to check facts, verify information and refute incorrect reports and perceived propaganda about events in Crimea covered in the media.
"The reason we are doing is very simple — aggression against Ukraine is unfolding, and it’s not only military aggression but very powerful information warfare. And Ukraine was losing it," said Yevehn Fedchenko, director of Mohyla School of Journalism in Kiev, Ukraine. Fedchenko's Digital Future of Journalism students launched the project.
See also: 9 Essential Questions About Ukraine, Answered
The Russian media have been widely criticized for the “propaganda” it is broadcasting about the Ukrainian political crisis back home.
It has claimed there was a "humanitarian crisis" in Ukraine, that "fascists" had overrun Kiev and "unknown masked gunmen" on the loose in Crimea. Sharp-eyed media watchers (including those at StopFake) have even identified the same witness appearing in clip after clip, posing as “five different Ukrainians” at different protests around the region.
#Ukraine: #Putin War propaganda exposed: #Russia media hire SAME "actress" to pose as mi.n 5 diff. Ukrainians #crimea pic.twitter.com/4sLr1qfPvn
— East of Brussels (@EastOfBrussels) March 5, 2014
RT says Western media whipping up frenzy over "invasion of Ukraine," as if there are no Russian troops on the ground https://t.co/WhIkDvNyot
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) March 5, 2014
RT, for its part, has responded to the accusations, saying they are simply responding to a “duty” to “show the truth on the ground.”
The charges of propaganda tend to pop up every time a news outlet, particularly RT, dares to show the side of events that does not fit the mainstream narrative, regardless of the realities on the ground. This happened in Georgia, this is happening in Ukraine. Some of the most striking facts about the actions of the opposition, such as its extreme right wing and anti-Semitic leanings, were being glazed over by most of the Western press. The fact that the protesters were receiving significant aid from abroad in violation of Ukrainian sovereignty was also ignored. Ditto how violent the protesters were, how they attacked the security personnel and refused injured policemen access to medical aid. No, the story across the Western mainstream media was all about peaceful, democracy-loving opposition being brutalized by the police. This was simply not the case, and it is our duty to show the truth on the ground.
“It’s pretty much epitomizes the two paradigms fighting in Crimea — old vs. new,” Fedchenko says.
The team that built the site was initially made up of five to six students, but it quickly grew. Most of them have never met in person. The team, Fedchenko says, is spread all over the world and made up of journalists, editors, translators, marketers — and even two programmers in Silicon Valley. Most of the debunked stories are submitted by users. The site states that the community does not represent or support any political party or other organization, and anyone can join.