State-linked manipulated media in the time of Covid-19: a look at Iran

• DOI: 10.1017/dap.2024.96
• Publication Date: 2025-02-17T08:12:22Z
• Authors: Benjamin E. Bagozzi; Karthik Balasubra...; Rajni Goel; Chris Parker
• Keywords: 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Abstract What drives changes in the thematic focus of state-linked manipulated media? We study this question relation to a long-running Iranian media campaign that was uncovered by Twitter 2021. Using variety machine learning methods, we uncover and analyze how manipulation campaign’s topical themes changed rising Covid-19 cases Iran. By using topics tweets novel way, find increases domestic engendered shift Iran’s away from toward international finance- investment-focused themes. These findings underscore (i) potential for campaigns be used diversionary purposes (ii) promise methods detecting such behaviors.