Elon Musk is piling onto all the hurricane disinformation, hampering relief efforts; Politico, October 8, 2024

ADAM ATON and SCOTT WALDMAN, Politico; Elon Musk is piling onto all the hurricane disinformation, hampering relief efforts

"Elon Musk is using his social media network to spread election conspiracy theories about U.S. disasters — just as online falsehoods are complicating the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton...

Falsehoods about natural disasters complicate the logistics of disaster response, which can hinge on survivors cooperating with a patchwork of authorities, the FEMA leaders said this week. They warned that conspiracy theories have already hampered the work of rescue and recovery...

Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan officials have pushed back on the claims from Musk — as well those from Trump, who has gone even further and falsely accused Democrats of blocking aid to Republican-leaning areas. GOP officials in those areas say federal agencies and officials have been in close contact...

Musk’s amplification of conspiracies comes as he prepares to hit the campaign trail for Trump in the next month before November’s election, with a focus on Pennsylvania...

After their conversation Friday, Musk thanked Buttigieg on X: “Just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball.” And in a Monday interview with Tucker Carlson on X, Musk credited Buttigieg with waiving “insane” flight planning requirements.

“I want to give Buttigieg some credit here,” Musk said. “When I complained about it, he reacted in a very levelheaded way. And he reached out to me, and he called me. And we discussed the issue, got to the bottom of it, and he fixed it.”...

Internationally, Musk and his social media company have faced penalties for what other governments have described as disinformation and hate speech." 

Helene recovery is more political online than on the ground; NPR, October 7, 2024

Jeff Brady, Liz Baker , NPR; Helene recovery is more political online than on the ground

"Elon Musk’s social media platform X has been an especially fertile place for politically charged rumors and conspiracies. Sometimes they have been fueled by the billionaire himself.

On Friday Musk fed into a common complaint online that governments are preventing private citizens from offering help to people in need. Musk wrotethat his “blood is boiling” after engineers from his company SpaceX tried to offer help via helicopter but “@FEMA wouldn’t let them land to deliver critical supplies.”

Actually the Federal Aviation Administration regulates airspace and the FAA said in a statement that following Helene the skies have been crowded and it's trying to maintain safety. A federal official confirmed to NPR that there have been more than 30 cases where two aircraft almost collided, as air traffic in the region increased 300% after the storm. There are no restrictions to aerial recovery operations.

Perhaps no area in North Carolina has been the subject of more blatant false online rumors than Chimney Rock — including the persistent untrue claim that FEMA abandoned the village so that the Biden administration can mine lithium there.

“Anything that you see, that you hear that sounds like that is not true,” says village mayor Peter O’Leary."

Gov. Lee says untruths are being spread about relief efforts; Johnson City Press, October 3, 2024

 Robert Hook, Johnson City Press; Gov. Lee says untruths are being spread about relief efforts

"Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday he is “inspired” by the work of volunteers and first responders in addressing flood relief needs in East Tennessee and “disheartened” to hear misinformation is being spread about that relief getting to flood victims.

He was referring to reports being posted on social media and elsewhere falsely claiming that food, water and other supplies for flood victims are being intercepted or diverted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and related agencies.

“It’s sad that would happen ... that people would push out that misinformation when aid is so badly needed,” Lee told Six Rivers Media by phone while touring recovery efforts in Greene and Cocke counties. “It’s ridiculous and disheartening. We don’t need this kind of distraction now.”"

'Disinformation laundering': Experts slam Lara Trump’s reply to GOP senator’s disaster relief statement; AlterNet, October 6, 2024

 Maya Boddie, AlterNet; 'Disinformation laundering': Experts slam Lara Trump’s reply to GOP senator’s disaster relief statement

"Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump on Sunday morning claimed that western North Carolinians are not receiving a sufficient federal disaster response. 

CNN's Dana Bash pushed back on he Republican National Committee co-chair's comments by playing a clip of US Senator Thom Tillis' (R-NC) Saturday comments during a press conference, in which the Republican leader praised the response from the Biden-Harris administration thus far.

"I'm actually impressed with how much attention was paid to a region that wasn't likely to have experienced the impact that they did," Tillis said. "For anybody that think that any level of government could have been prepared precisely for what we're dealing with, clearly are clueless. But right now, I'm out here to say, we're doing a good job."

Bash then emphasized that Tillis "and others are saying please to the former president and others, stop spreading misinformation, because it's hurting people in North Carolina."

Lara Trump replied, "I'm so glad to hear he feels that way, but it's coming directly from people there. You can go online and you can look at people recording videos of themselves and posting online saying, 'We need help. No one has come here.'"

WLRN reporter Danny Rivero replied to Lara Trump's interview clip posted to X, writing: "Disinformation laundering is a term and concept more people in media should be aware of. Politician spreads disinformation > gullible people start repeating it > politician cites the people repeating it as proof of step one. This is disinformation laundering"

Michigan GOP Watch commented: "Get this. Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, knows more about the situation on the ground than the Republican senator of North Carolina.""

Interested Parties Memo: Fighting Hurricane Helene Falsehoods with Facts; The White House, October 5, 2024

 The White House; Interested Parties Memo: Fighting Hurricane Helene Falsehoods with Facts

""Senior Advisor to the President and Communications Director Ben LaBolt, and Director of Digital Strategy Christian Tom

Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s direction, the Administration has mobilized a robust, intensive, and whole-of-government effort to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. This includes extensive pre-landfall preparations, as well as an immediate surge of additional resources and personnel to impacted communities. More than 6,400 Federal personnel are on the ground, and more than $110 million in Federal assistance has been given to survivors, with more to come. We are sparing no resource as we work to ensure communities across the Southeast have prompt access to Federal resources that will enable them to both purchase essential items and begin their road to recovery and rebuilding.

Unfortunately, as our response and recovery efforts continue, we have seen a large increase in false information circulating online related to the federal response to Hurricane Helene. A number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos because they think it helps their political interests are promoting disinformation about the recovery effort, including ways to access critical and live-saving resources. This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately.

Combatting misinformation and disinformation is always important – but it is especially important when responding to disasters like Hurricane Helene. In fact, disinformation after a hurricane or other natural disaster can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most. It is imperative that we encourage impacted residents to register for FEMA assistance, not discourage it, by allowing falsehoods to spread.

Leaders from across the country, including local, state, and federal elected officials in both parties, are pleading with people to stop sharing “this junk.”

1. CNN: With misinformation swirling in Hurricane Helene’s wake, officials urge residents to ‘stop this conspiracy theory junk’
2. HuffPost: North Carolina Republican Pleads To End Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories About Helene Disaster Recovery
3. The Hill: Tennessee mayor on FEMA attacks post-Helene: ‘Quit spreading those rumors’
4. WVLT: ‘A lot of misinformation’ | Gov. Lee, FEMA address donation rumors

Here are some of the falsehoods being spread online – and the facts we are fighting back with:"

Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response; FEMA, October 2024

 FEMA; Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response

"Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response

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Help keep yourself, your family and your community safe after Hurricane Helene by being aware of rumors and scams and sharing official information from trusted sources.

Do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by doing three easy things: 

1. Find trusted sources of information. 
2. Share information from trusted sources. 
3. Discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources."

[AI-Fabricated] Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene.; PolitiFact, Poynter Institute, October 2, 2024

Ciara O'Rourke,  PolitiFact, Poynter Institute; [AI-Fabricated] Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene.

"Trump surveyed Hurricane Helene damage in Georgia, but not from deep floodwaters; this image is fake

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• This image was fabricated.

See the sources for this fact-check

Former President Donald Trump visited Valdosta, Georgia, on Sept. 30, to see how Hurricane Helene had damaged the area. 

But an image circulating online that purportedly shows him wading through floodwaters past his knees isn’t authentic. 

Posts sharing it were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

(Screengrab from Threads)"

Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories collide with election misinformation; The Guardian, October 4, 2024

Rachel Leingang , The Guardian; Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories collide with election misinformation

“Elon Musk, the owner of X and key Trump ally, claimed Fema was blocking flights trying to aid the area, calling it “belligerent government incompetence”. The transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, responded: “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”

An AI-generated image of a young girl holding a puppy, looking devastated as she sat in a boat in the rain, seemingly fleeing the flood waters, spread widely. It was rightly flagged as AI-generated, but some didn’t seem to care.

“This picture has been seared into my mind,” Amy Kremer, an RNC national committeewoman from Georgia, posted on X. She later added: “Y’all, I don’t know where this photo came from and honestly, it doesn’t matter,” saying it was “emblematic” of the reality people were facing.

One myth amplified in the last few days suggests Fema is out of money because it has spent money on migrants instead, a claim that Trump and many of his allies have amplified. The story was on the cover of the New York Post.”

Lawmaker on Helene conspiracy theories: ‘PLEASE help stop this junk’; The Hill, October 4, 2024

  JULIANN VENTURA , The Hill; Lawmaker on Helene conspiracy theories: ‘PLEASE help stop this junk’

"North Carolina state Sen. Kevin Corbin (R) denounced what he described as “conspiracy theory junk” circulating about flooding in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, referring to allegations about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stealing money from donations, among several others.

“PLEASE help stop this junk. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job. Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known,” Corbin wrote Thursday in post on Facebook...

In an effort to curb misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene, FEMA launched a “rumor response” page, where the agency asks the public to find and share information from trusted sources and to discourage others from sharing details from unverified ones. It also seeks to dispel rumors as the search for storm victims continues across multiple states and authorities contend with blocked roads and power outages."

‘They Can Control the Weather,’ Claims Marjorie Taylor Greene After Deadly Hurricane Helene Kills More Than 200; Mediate, October 4, 2024

 Charlie Nash, Mediate; ‘They Can Control the Weather,’ Claims Marjorie Taylor Greene After Deadly Hurricane Helene Kills More Than 200

"Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) weighed in on the deadly hurricane which wreaked havoc in her state of Georgia and across the southern United States on Thursday, suggesting that the hurricane had been controlled.

After the Hurricane Helene death toll rose to over 200, Greene wrote in a social media post, “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”"

Politically charged rumors and conspiracy theories about Helene flourish on X; NPR, October 3, 2024

 Huo Jingnan, NPR; Politically charged rumors and conspiracy theories about Helene flourish on X

"Emergency management researchers lament that the platform owned by Elon Musk, which was once considered a useful source of information in a disaster, is instead contributing to the chaos in Helene's wake.

The disaster became fodder for political attacks

The storm hit two swing states just a month before a close election, making criticisms about the response a tempting political line of attack.

On X, the top results for “Helene” have millions of views but are not always reliable...

Former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that Democrats were withholding aid from Republican areas. Trump also falsely claimed that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had not been able to speak to Biden, even though both confirmed they had spoken to one another.

There’s no evidence the federal government is withholding aid from affected states. The Republican governors of South Carolina and Georgia have praised the federal government’s support.

Other videos on X made wilder claims.

"Don’t worry guys, weather modification isn’t real! It’s just a coincidence that Hurricane Helene is one of the most devastating 'inland damage storms' in history and that hundreds of pro-Trump counties are being massively impacted during the most important election of our lifetimes," influencer Matt Wallace posted alongside video footage of flooding. The post received 11 million views."

The Fog of Disaster Is Getting Worse; The Atlantic, October 5, 2024

Juliette Kayyem , The Atlantic; The Fog of Disaster Is Getting Worse

"Keeping track of events during a natural disaster was hard enough in the past, before people with dubious motives started flooding social media with sensational images generated by artificial intelligence. In a crisis, public officials, first responders, and people living in harm’s way all need reliable information. The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has shown that, even as technology has theoretically improved our capacity to connect with other people, our visibility into what’s happening on the ground may be deteriorating."

Locals turn to legacy media as hurricane rumors swirl; Axios, October 1, 2024

 Michael Graff, Sara Fischer, Axios; Locals turn to legacy media as hurricane rumors swirl

"Old-fashioned legacy media — especially radio — have become a vital information lifeline in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

Why it matters: Power outages, lost cell signals and hundreds of road closures have stifled on-the-ground reporting, giving way to falsehoods that can spread quickly online — and creating an urgent need to correct them.

• Local reporters are working overtime to correct the record. In many cases, they're filling an information void left by local government officials who were caught off guard by the severity of the storm's flooding in mountainous regions around Asheville, North Carolina."

US officials struggle to quash Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories; Reuters, October 5, 2024

Stephanie Kelly , Reuters; US officials struggle to quash Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories

"In the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Helene in the United States this week, a new storm emerged on social media - false rumors about how disaster funds have been used, and even claims that officials control the weather.

Local and national government officials say they are trying to combat the rumors, including one spread by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

One of the more far-fetched rumors is that Helene was an engineered storm to allow corporations to mine regional lithium deposits. Others accuse the administration of President Joe Biden of using federal disaster funds to help migrants in the country illegally, or suggest officials are deliberately abandoning bodies in the cleanup."