London Mayor Launches £7M Campaign to Fight Disinformation

Is this a vital fightback against coordinated disinformation or a tone-deaf distraction from real problems?

Published 6 days ago

London Mayor Launches £7M Campaign to Fight Disinformation

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Above: London Mayor Sadiq Khan in Singapore on June 16. Image credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

London is under attack from a global network of misinformation designed to tank tourism and scare off investors. Extremist networks, pro-Kremlin groups and content farms in Sri Lanka and Nigeria are mass-posting AI-generated garbage to profit off fear and division. Khan's campaign will combat these malicious efforts and showcase London as the world-leading city it truly is.

London City Hall

Sadiq Khan on X

Government-critical narrative

Spending £7 million on a glorified PR campaign while London recorded nearly 100,000 thefts last year is a stunning misreading of priorities by the London mayor. Blaming social media for the city's poor reputation will not fix London's housing crisis, shoplifting or constant tube strikes. Real challenges like these demand real solutions, not a billboard in Singapore.

City A.M.

The Free Speech Union on X