The ‘fact check’ network waging a war on truth

Russia has launched a purported fact-checking organisation that lists a controversial Australian academic among its contributors.

The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), launched in April by Russian state news agency TASS, presents itself as an international hub for unbiased verification in the “fight against fake news”.

However, experts warn the site is intentionally trying to mirror the work of the 179 active member organisations of the US-based Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

The IFCN, of which AAP FactCheck is a member, is widely recognised as the global standard for non-partisan fact-checking.

Signatories to its code of principles are required to meet strict transparency, independence and methodology standards.

At the time of writing, the GFCN listed 26 “experts” on its participants page, many of whom are prominent Kremlin-aligned commentators.

Among the list is Australian academic Tim Anderson, a political economist formerly with the University of Sydney.

Dr Anderson was freed from prison in 1991, one year into a 14-year sentence after his conviction for killing three men in a bombing outside Sydney’s Hilton Hotel in 1978 was quashed by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

He was dismissed from his university role in 2019 for presenting a graphic in lectures that overlaid the Israeli flag with a swastika.

Three years later, a judge found the university was wrong to terminate his employment.

AAP contacted Dr Anderson for comment about his purported involvement with the GFCN but did not receive a response.

His LinkedIn profile says he runs the Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies, a website that publishes his writing alongside material from outlets critical of the West and Israel, and supportive of several authoritarian regimes.

Dr Anderson’s byline does not appear on any articles on the GFCN website.

Experts say the Russian network represents a co-ordinated and ambitious attempt to erode trust in independent verification.

Emma Briant, a disinformation expert at the University of Notre Dame, said governments had long sought to launder propaganda through entities that appeared neutral.

“This is typical of the Russian efforts to create independent-looking networks of ideologically biased ‘experts’ to launder approved information and generate credibility for biased narratives on international events,” she told AAP.

Dr Briant said the GFCN could also target domestic political debates in Australia.

She noted Kremlin-backed campaigns had previously spread divisive content among Australian audiences on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Indigenous voice referendum.

“Should GFCN shift focus onto Australia, I imagine we would see similar themes seeking to amplify distrust in mainstream politicians,” she said.

The network was not the Kremlin’s first attempt to weaponise the fact-checking format, Dr Briant added.

Following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia promoted the “War on Fakes” website, which pushed pro-Kremlin narratives under the guise of fact-checking.

Sascha-Dominik Dov Bachmann, an information warfare expert from the University of Canberra, said the GFCN marked a shift from traditional disinformation to a more dangerous structure.

“It’s surprising it took them this long,” Professor Bachmann said, agreeing that the Russian network was clearly mimicking the IFCN to “borrow its legitimacy” and steal its credibility.

“IFCN relies on accreditation, mentorship and journalistic standards; it’s a robust, professional network,” he said.

“GFCN has none of that. You just sign up and push Kremlin lines.”

By: Jim McManagan/AAP