Misidentifying the Canine: Online Users Believe This Dog Was Shot by Kristi Noem; It's Not True.
In a world where advanced technology can create deepfakes, the story of a dog in a misleading photograph serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of viral misinformation, especially when it's spread through pictures of cute animals.
The setting is a platform known as Reddit, where individuals can form online communities based on their interests. One of these communities is called "Puppy," dedicated to spreading pictures of adorable canines. Last year, a user named "LukeWarm273" uploaded several pictures of their pup, named "Blue," on this platform. The puppy is a mix of German Wirehaired Pointer and shorthair Pointer and was described by the poster as being "cute" due to its unique features like his little nose.
However, this seemingly harmless post was used in a disinformation campaign.
Recently, a news report published by NewsGuard, a journalism organization responsible for rating the reliability of news websites and monitoring online misinformation, revealed that the picture of Blue had spread widely across the internet. The image surfaced during an intense political debate during an election year, targeting Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota. In her book, Noem recounted shootings and killing her own dog, Cricket, stating that she'd killed it due to its aggressive behavior towards chickens, causing bites, and lack of training. This controversial reveal negatively impacted Noem's reputation, with her being removed from the shortlist for the vice presidency (democrats' choice) even before the controversy began.
Even though the online mob was slamming the governor for her actions, the photo used to represent her dead dog, Cricket, was allegedly not Cricket at all.
The photo, now spread all over the internet, was originally taken by LukeWarm273, posted on Reddit as a part of the "Puppy" subreddit. It gained attention after the story of Noem killing her dog went viral. As the story gained traction, it was also shared on other sites, not restricted to social media platforms like X. Activity on X led to a viral post on their website, drawing attention from high-profile personalities like Mark Hamill, the actor best known for his role in "Star Wars," who expressed his outrage at the picture, viewing it as a photograph of Noem's unfortunate and tragic deed.
It is unclear how the X user had found the picture of Blue. What is known is that the user had mistakenly thought they were sharing the picture of Cricket. This user had almost 600,000 views on their post, falsely associating it with the politician's controversial dog story.
This incorrect and widely shared image had caught the attention of major British newspaper The Telegraph, subsequently being published on their website. The article was also picked up and reposted on Yahoo! News, showing up on even more online platforms.
Animal Wellness Action, a Washington-DC-based animal rights group, incorporated the photo of the wrong dog into their own press release, condemning Noem for her actions. The group made use of a press release distribution service that syndicates their materials to many news platforms across the country, resulting in the image being published on the websites of 11 local TV stations.
When contacted about this by CNN, the spokesperson for the group, Joseph Grove, acknowledged the mistake: "Our writer relied on extensive news coverage of the dog and the proliferation of that photo and took as fact that the photo was of Cricket. She had seen the image used, for example, on Yahoo News and the Daily Kos... We should have done our own research on this." Animal Wellness Action then issued a clarification on their incorrect statement but is still facing backlash due to the outbreak of misinformation on this subject.
CNN contacted The Telegraph for comment, but as of now, they have not responded.
Although the false viral narrative was eventually corrected by Daily Kos, the damage was done. "This story demonstrates how fake photos can easily spread without the use of Photoshop, AI, or high-tech tools," Jack Brewster, a NewsGuard enterprise editor, yearned to NewsGuard, highlighting how an online image can mislead media outlets, television stations, and social media influencers casually.
LukeWarm273, the Reddit user who had initially posted Blue's pictures, has not commented on this entire affair, with NewsGuard notifying them of their involvement. However, the user did admit that the picture used for the misleading viral post did, in fact, belong to them.
NewsGuard's investigation into the misinformation campaign demonstrates the risk of assuming the accuracy of viral content on the internet, regardless of the intentions behind it. In this specific incident, a casual Reddit post was transformed into a false narrative that misled major news sites and social media users concerning Governor Kristi Noem's controversial story involving "Cricket".
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Spreading false information can lead to more complications, especially when the subject matter is controversial. Ben Decker, CEO of Memetica, a company that tracks disinformation online, stated this to CNN. He said that popular content that arises amidst a disputed news cycle can strengthen the narrative, all while mixing it with false context.
Joan Donovan, an assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University, explains how platforms encourage the spread of deceptive content. Sites like X give rewards to users who produce content that goes viral (though X claims the content should not be untrue). Moving images and photographs that evoke intense emotions (such as the image of an adorable puppy) are the perfect fit for virality.
"The people you trust are crucial due to the huge advantages (money and social standing) that come with online attention and spreading the word," Donovan wrote in an email to CNN. "This encourages manipulators to distort or fabricate stories, making it seem like they've uncovered a major scoop."
"I wasn't thrilled to see my dog's image utilized for that purpose," LukeWarm273 said to NewsGuard. "Yes, it was proven that Blue was killed by Noem. But it's still not right to post an image of a cute dog on the internet to heighten people's emotions."
LukeWarm273 confirmed Blue is alive and expressed that he is "a good and protective dog."
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Source: edition.cnn.com
