Veterans Today

Veterans Today is an American propaganda and conspiracy theory website.

History

Veterans Today was founded in 2003 "in opposition to the invasion of Iraq." According to Politico, the site "soon began publishing wild conspiracy theories".[1] It has ties with the state-backed Iranian PressTV, and has had ties with Russia’s New Eastern Outlook since 2013. Its editorial board includes a former head of Pakistan’s intelligence services.[1] It has published headlines including, “Israeli death squads involved in Sandy Hook bloodbath” and “Water Terrorism by India to Overawe Pakistan.”[1]

The website is formally partnered with several Russian institutions, and, according to Politico, "has consistently published articles that push the Kremlin party line".[1] According to University of Washington professor Kate Starbird, Veterans Today is a fake news site actively pushing the Kremlin party line.[1] According to the Manchester Union Leader, the website mixes "advice for veterans on how to find jobs and pay medical bills" with conspiracy theories and Russian propaganda.[2]

In 2012 the website's chairman, Gordon Duff, told an interviewer that "about 30% of what's written on Veterans Today, is patently false. About 40% of what I write, is at least purposely, partially false, because if I didn't write false information I wouldn't be alive".[1]

Reception

According to British journalist Oliver Kamm, Veterans Today "promotes conspiracy theories".[3] James Kirchick, writing in Time magazine, calls Veterans Today a "virulently anti-Semitic website".[4]

According to the Jerusalem Post, the website "publishes articles defending Hitler, and promotes Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and the anti-Semitic musician Gilad Atzmon".[5] The Times of Israel describes it as "a clearinghouse of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories".[6] The Forward describes Veterans Today as "a hub for antiIsrael conspiracy theories."[7] The Daily Beast describes it as a "Holocaust denial outfit",[8] Vice magazine calls it "conspiracy-oriented",[9] and Salon characterizes it as a "leftist conspiracy website".[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schreckinger, Ben (12 June 2017). "How Russia Targets the U.S. Military". Politico. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  2. ↑ Gordon, Greg; Goldstein, David (9 October 2017). "Russian propaganda engaged U.S. vets, troops via social media, study finds". The Union Leader. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Kamm, Oliver (4 January 2013). "From nonsense to indecency". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Kirchick, James (22 July 2014). "Inside the Bizarro World of 'Russia Today'". Time. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Paul, Jonny (2 November 2012). "British Jewish group accuses Church of England vicar of anti-Semitism. Formal complaint documents Rev. Stephen Sizer's offensive anti-Semitic statements". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Zehavi, Ben (3 May 2013). "Why do Jews and Israel so often feature at center of conspiracy theories?". Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Cohen, Anne (10 February 2013). "Newtown Hero Gene Rosen Finds Himself Targeted by Conspiracy Theorists". The Forward. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Moynihan, Michael (11 October 2014). "From ISIS to Ebola, What Has Made Naomi Wolf So Paranoid?". Daily Beast. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Thomson, Alex (11 September 2016). "9/11 'truthers' vow to never, ever forget". Vice. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Sheffield, Matthew (28 December 2017). "Left-wing sites got trolled by Russians too: The strange saga of "Alice Donovan"". Salon. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
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