ICYMI: This is propaganda

A screenshot of an unlabeled Russian propaganda video on YouTube that mocks the recent military response by Western nations to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The video also pushes confusing false equivalencies about the use of several types of military weapons.

Last Thursday, NBC News reported that a YouTube channel that appears to provide cheeky, millennial-focused news analysis is actually a state-run Russian propaganda effort. It has also evaded YouTube’s new label for state-sponsored content.

The channel, named ICYMI after the internet-slang abbreviation for “in case you missed it,” is a spinoff of RT (formerly Russia Today), another Russian state-owned media company. The channel’s short videos are hosted by Polly Boiko, a former RT staffer, and make heavy use of motion graphics, humor and references to internet culture, presumably in an attempt to appeal to young news consumers.

Boiko’s commentary in the videos echoes Kremlin talking points and employs common Russian propaganda tactics. For example, in a video about “fake news,” Boiko creates confusion around the concept of “fake news,” mocks as bad-faith “BS police” the creation of a U.K. government committee to combat state-sponsored disinformation, and asserts that the commission’s first action might as well be to shut down all newspapers, TV stations and the internet. In other videos, Boiko ridicules the notion that Russia is responsible for the recent poisoning in Salisbury, England, of the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter and pushes a fog of false equivalencies and conspiracy theory references about the recent military strikes in Syria by the U.S., France and the U.K.

ICYMI was launched on Jan. 11; as of April 23, it had published 163 videos — more than 11 a week, on average.

• Note: These videos are consistent with Russia’s other propaganda efforts, which are designed to sow confusion and doubt and to further the distrust of institutions. These strategies present a particular challenge for educators who are working to help their students develop critical — but not cynical — dispositions toward institutions.
• Idea: Provide students with the link to the ICYMI channel and, as a bell-ringer, give them a few minutes to explore it on their own. Then, use Facing History and Ourselves’ “Big Paper” strategy, have students silently write their thoughts and questions. Transition from Big Paper to small groups, and challenge students to find answers to the questions raised. (If no students have raised questions about the origins of the channel, you may need to add this question.) At the end of class, have student groups share their findings and address other thoughts arising from the Big Paper exercise.
  • Note: Once the channel is revealed as a Russian state media operation, you should anticipate that some students will make false equivalencies between ICYMI (or other state-run media) and mainstream news organizations. Students should recognize that while mainstream news organizations are not perfect, they are demonstrably and vividly distinct from state-sponsored propaganda outlets.
  • Also note: People sometimes compare PBS, NPR or the BBC to state-run media, but their funding models and editorial practices reflect important differences to help maintain their independence from government control.
• Related: Another RT spinoff, In the Now, has Facebook and Twitter accounts that share content similar to what’s seen on ICYMI. These social media accounts also do not contain any labels or disclaimers about their ownership.
• Discuss: What action could students take in response to these channels and other state-sponsored propaganda?