Memorable night marked by disinformation
Two memorable moments took place on Oscar night Sunday. One was on the stage in Los Angeles. The other, far away, across the Atlantic. Both involved Brits. Both were marked by disinformation.
While that may not be unusual in this post-truth moment, what feels dystopian is the brazen role of the establishment — of people in the very institutions we’re supposed to trust — in perpetuating the lies.
When Jonathan Glazer won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for “Zone of Interest,” his acceptance speech instantly eclipsed the rest of the evening, at least for many always-online people.
The name of the film refers to the deceptively bureaucratic term for the area just outside the Auschwitz concentration camp. Although it was 10 years in the making, the film’s release was perfectly timed, exploring an idea from the past that has flared up into the most pressing issue of our time: how dehumanization allows ordinary people to accept horrific violence against others.
In winning the award, Glazer said, in part:
“Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
Though somewhat awkwardly structured, this comment is clearly an appeal for peace from all sides. A man with moral courage standing up to criticize all violence, and to reject the “hijacking” of Jewishness or the horrors of the Holocaust to justify Israel’s illegal occupation and the killing of innocent civilians, Palestinian or Israeli.
But no. His words were quickly and dangerously distorted, and not just by the usual purveyors of misinformation dwelling in the internet’s dark corners. Variety magazine ran a story quoting him saying: “Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
Following online backlash, the magazine updated the story to include the full quote.
But the right-wing reproofs had already begun, with Republican Meghan McCain and Abe Foxman, former head of the Anti-Defamation League, and Batya Ungar-Sargon, an opinion editor at Newsweek in the lead, variously lambasting the filmmaker for “refuting his Jewishness” with little respect for facts or fear of consequence.
And even though millions had heard with their own ears what he said — that he had refuted the hijacking of his Jewishness, not Jewishness itself, and of the Holocaust to justify the unjustifiable — Glazer was called “one of Judaism’s historical villains” on social media, castigated in articles for his “new woke antisemitism” in one, for a “disgraceful acceptance speech,” in another and for “hijacking his Jewishness” elsewhere.
Could Glazer have been clearer? Yes. But surely the onus in this moment of misinformation, heightened tensions and high moral stakes is on the media — and influencers with large platforms — to be factual.
Instead, his speech is now lodged in a war of narratives taking place here while Israel continues to pile up unspeakable horrors in Gaza.
If this first case of disinformation was fuelled by passions over a flashpoint issue, the second event is a self-goal, turning an issue that was in the realm of outlandish conspiracy into an actual scandal.
From about Christmas Day — which was the last time she was seen in public — up until Sunday night, the life of Kate Middleton, the wife of the future king of England, had been reduced to the hashtag #WhereIsKate. There didn’t seem any real justification for the growing furor online. In January, the palace had announced Kate was to have an undisclosed surgery and was putting off public engagements until after Easter, or March 31.
But speculation as to her whereabouts — why would a woman who showed up for the cameras within hours of giving birth not show her face for months from a mystery surgery? — turned into gossip that turned into lurid and baseless conspiracies.
She’s in a coma! She’s getting a divorce! She has left the palace! She’s hiding! He has a mistress!
All that the palace had to do was keep quiet until March 31. But for some reason, Kensington Palace released a photo of the princess surrounded by her children on Sunday and credited it to the Prince of Wales. A few papers published it. Then the boot dropped. The world’s most prominent news agencies retracted it. The Associated Press put out a “Kill Photo” order — journalist speak for “don’t use” — saying it had been digitally altered. Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Getty Images followed suit.
Once you saw the changes around hands, clothes, hair, the background you couldn’t unsee them. Sixteen alterations, reportedly. CNN is now reviewing all past photos sent by the palace.
Given that the standard for photos in the journalism business, including at this paper, is strictly no altering — except maybe to improve its quality or to blur faces for those requesting anonymity — this was a bombshell.
The Royal Family has often massaged its image for public consumption. But to put itself this crudely in the arena of disinformation actors?
Overnight, #WhereIsKate turned from a ha-ha to a real question. The conspiracy theorists had been fed.
Monday morning, the palace released a statement signed by Kate that apologized “for the confusion” and made the credulity-stretching claim that she does “occasionally experiment with editing.” Does that pass the sniff test? People “experiment” with edits to change effects or hide blemishes. Do they change clothes? Editing is not tampering.
So where was the original photo? Or at this point, any genuine news about the princess? With every passing hour as #WhereIsKate turned into #Kategate, the palace released a photo of the couple. At long last, you say? Not so quick. It’s a photo of them at the back of the car. You can see William all right, looking down. The person supposed to be Kate? Her face is turned away. Only her ear and a bit of cheek is visible.
#WhereIsKate is now officially weird.