Evaluating contradictory foreign interference allegations in the 2020 U.S. election | by @DFRLab | DFRLab | Oct, 2020 | Medium

DFRLab’s Foreign Interference Attribution Tracker (FIAT) database (see Interference2020.org) "captures allegations of foreign #us2020 interference... and assesses their credibility, bias, evidence, transparency, and impact".

80 allegations were catalogued: a "sharp increase from 2016... vary widely in their evidence and objectivity, sometimes even contradict each other". These “counter-claims” - where different authorities (governmental, tech, influencers, media) published contrasting allegations of foreign interference to explain the same event - were analysed in depth: how did each allegation spread, and how much impact did they have? The article explores 7 case studies.

Key highlights:

• media maintains its agenda-setting role
• contradictory claims can stem from different standards and definitions; where allegations lack evidence, different intrepretations stem from "pre-existing biases, both editorial and political"
• foreign countries used the opportunity to highlight the mess the US is in for domestic purposes

Key conclusion: a common standard is needed for describing foreign interference allegations, founded upon evidence and transparency, as is coordination between media, government, industry, and academia before making an allegation to reduce confusing, conflicting messaging.

The latter recommendations sounds rather like a Truth Cartel - manna from heaven for conspiracy theorists.