Hundreds of articles by independent experts apparently praising Bangladeshi government policies have appeared in national and international media, but the authors have questionable credentials, fake photos, and may not even exist, AFP investigates has been found.
Commentators say this is evidence of a continuing campaign of disinformation by unknown actors ahead of elections due in late January, but which appear to be aimed at benefiting the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Such articles have been published by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the leading media across Asia, and cited by South Asia Brief, a Washington-based foreign policy magazine.
Rights groups and foreign powers, including the United States, have long raised concerns over efforts by the Hasina government to silence criticism and stifle political dissent.
AFP found that the names that make up a network of so-called experts are producing regular op-ed pieces, some posing as academics from leading global universities, some using stolen headshot photos, and others using real Creating analysts’ quotes.
“It is a coordinated influence operation,” said A Al Mamoon, a journalism professor at Bangladesh’s Rajshahi University. “These articles mainly promote narratives that are favorable to the current Bangladesh government.”