AFP investigation: ad revenue scheme drives South China Sea conflict click bait

In the first half of 2024, AFP's fact-checking team in the Philippines noticed a surge in social media posts about the disputed South China Sea.
The posts exaggerated confrontations between China and the Philippines, even suggesting the two nations were on the brink of war.
False narratives and images based on real news events often gain traction online - in this case, AFP found the network sharing the posts had a combined following of over 10 million people.
But what drives this type of disinformation?
In this case, the answer is ad revenue from decoy “news” sites linked in the comments.
One post, originally published on March 22, 2024, reached 35,000 shares after a real skirmish between Philippine and Chinese sailors on June 17, 2024.
The account then published a link in the post's comments to a fabricated report about US troops being deployed to the Philippines on a site otherwise covered in paid advertisements.
In this video, AFP journalists Jan Cuyco and Ara Eugenio in Manila describe the disinformation they tracked for months. With their colleague Lucy Sodipe, they sought to identify someone actively involved in the disinformation operation, a search that led them to Thailand.
AFP's Nattakorn 'Tii' Ploddee in Bangkok reached out to an individual who had been interacting regularly with many of the posts AFP had debunked.
The person confirmed his work was to maintain and promote the disinformation network and provided a window into what he sees as just another job.
MUSIC: AUDIO NETWORK / Get It / Sean Allen (PRS) ; Sonic Depths / Jody Jenkins (PRS) ; Look Out Shooter / Kelly Mac (BMI) | Aaron John Shapiro (BMI)

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