The Grayzone

{{Short description|US-based fringe news website and blog}} {{pp-protected|small=yes}} {{Italic title}} {{About|the website|the political term|Grey-zone (international relations)|other uses|Grey zone (disambiguation){{!}}Grey zone}} {{Use American English|date=October 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox website | name = ''The Grayzone'' | logo = 225px | screenshot = The Grayzone as of 11 September 2021.png | caption = The homepage of ''The Grayzone'' on September 11, 2021 | type = News website, Blog | founder = Max Blumenthal | editor = Wyatt Reed (managing)<ref name=Hale/> | key_people = Ben Norton (until January 2022) Aaron Maté Anya Parampil Alex Rubenstein Kit Klarenberg | url = {{URL|https://thegrayzone.com}} | launch_date = December 2015 }}

'''''The Grayzone''''' is an American fringe,{{refn|name="fringe"|Sources characterizing ''The Grayzone'' as fringe: {{R|Casalicchio|Zhang|Thompson|Chan|Davis-2021}}}} far-left{{refn|name="far-left"|Sources characterizing ''The Grayzone'' as far-left: {{R|Hale|Thompson|Lang|Sebok|Bloodworth-2020|Foy|VanderMade|McGreevy|Cuffe}}{{R|Antelava|Dávid|Cheng|Bloc}}}} news website and blog.{{refn|Sources describing ''The Grayzone'' as a blog: {{R|VanderMade|Allen|Ross-2021|Ross-2020}}}} It was founded and is edited by American journalist Max Blumenthal.{{R|Allen}} The website was initially founded as '''''The Grayzone Project'''''{{R|Davis-2018}} and was affiliated with AlterNet until early 2018.{{R|Thompson}}

Coverage of ''The Grayzone'' has focused on its misleading{{R|Wong|Fiorella|Freedman}} reporting, its criticism of American foreign policy,<ref name="Hale" /><ref name="Thompson">{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Caitlin |date=July 30, 2020 |title=Enter the Grayzone: fringe leftists deny the scale of China's Uyghur oppression |work=Coda Story |url=https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/grayzone-xinjiang-denialism/ |quote=The Grayzone has followed a similar path on Syria, challenging reports of atrocities by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. ...Based on a desire for a multipolar world, in which global military, cultural and economic power is distributed among multiple nation states and Western influence greatly diminished, they have been quick to argue on behalf of authoritarian regimes such as China and Syria. |access-date=September 12, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019184243/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/grayzone-xinjiang-denialism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and its sympathetic coverage of the Russian, Chinese and former Syrian governments.{{refn|{{R|Thompson|Ross-2021|Chik|Shezaf}}<ref name="DiMaggio">{{cite book |last1=DiMaggio |first1=Anthony R. |last2=Buscarnera |first2=Brandon |last3=Bucci |first3=Rachael |last4=Foley |first4=Claire |last5=Carlson |first5=James |title=Fake News in America: Contested Meanings in the Post-Truth Era |date=August 30, 2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-316-51245-6 |pages=69–70 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/fake-news-in-america/C18D13F50C70458C80C02F1C0E17D925 |url-access=subscription |chapter-url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/fake-news-in-america/phenomenon-of-fake-news-part-2/E367B0ABC8B58AC62BACD717D54EBE53 |chapter-url-access=subscription |chapter=The Phenomenon of Fake News, Part 2: The News Media Respond to Trump |doi=10.1017/9781009067362.004 |quote=Finally, the Grayzone and MintPress News pursue another form of leftist engagement with the fake news phenomenon – condemning the mainstream media for fake news, while amplifying the propaganda of autocratic foreign governments. |access-date=September 23, 2023 |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005052802/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/fake-news-in-america/C18D13F50C70458C80C02F1C0E17D925 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Alieva 2024">{{cite journal |last1=Alieva |first1=Iuliia |last2=Kloo |first2=Ian |last3=Carley |first3=Kathleen M. |title=Analyzing Russia's propaganda tactics on Twitter using mixed methods network analysis and natural language processing: a case study of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine |journal=EPJ Data Science |date=June 12, 2024 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00479-w |doi-access=free |language=en |issn=2193-1127 |quote=We also observed the presence of low-credibility news accounts disseminating narratives that are anti-Ukraine, antisemitic, anti-West, anti-NATO, and promoting pro-Russia and pro-China propaganda narratives in English language (for instance, the Grayzone News and its bloggers).}}</ref>}} ''The Grayzone'' has been accused of downplaying and defending the persecution of Uyghurs in China,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chi |first=Zhang |title=China's International Communication and Relationship Building |date=June 23, 2022 |isbn=9781003254157 |pages=186 |chapter=Fighting Tigers or Flies? Towards Effective Counter-radicalization Narratives in China |doi=10.4324/9781003254157-14 |quote=Digging into Zenz's anti-LGBT and anti-abortion history and labelling him a far-right researcher, the Grayzone itself did not go unchecked. Coda, a New York-based news platform, dismisses Blumenthal as a far-left supporter of the Syrian regime (Thompson, 2020). However, while Blumenthal's political view on Syria might say something about his potential bias on the Uyghur issue, Thompson does not respond to the evidence the Grayzone presented that challenges Zenz's research. |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003254157-14/fighting-tigers-flies-towards-effective-counter-radicalization-narratives-china-chi-zhang}}</ref>{{refn|name="denied Uyghur genocide"|"Denied human rights abuses against Uyghurs":{{R|Thompson|Cheng|Allen|DiMaggio|Xiao|Zhang|Azeezah|Ellery}}}} of publishing conspiracy theories about Xinjiang, Syria and other regions,{{R|Ross|Confidencial|Skliarevska 2022|Hale}} and of publishing pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation, especially during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{R|Ellery|Skliarevska 2022|Alieva 2024|Hale}}<ref name=":1" />

== History ==

''The Grayzone'' was founded as a blog called ''The Grayzone Project'' in December 2015 by Max Blumenthal.{{R|Thompson|Allen|Davis-2018}} The blog was hosted on AlterNet until early 2018, when ''The Grayzone'' became independent of the website.{{R|Thompson|Bawer}} Managing editor Wyatt Reed, contributor Mohamed Elmaazi and regular freelancer Jeremy Loffredo worked for Russian state media before contributing to the website.<ref name=":2" />

The English Wikipedia formally deprecated the use of ''The Grayzone'' as a source for facts in its articles in March 2020, citing issues with the website's factual reliability.{{R|Thompson|Ross-2020}}

''Grayzone'' staff Blumenthal and Aaron Maté acted as briefers{{what?|date=March 2025}} on behalf of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations at UN meetings organized by Russia.<ref name="mid.ru p415" /><ref name="March 2023 Monthly Forecast 2023" /><ref name="Постоянное представительство Российской Федерации при ООН 2023" /><ref name="Camut 2023 p730">{{cite web |last=Camut |first=Nicolas |date=July 20, 2023 |title=Scoop! Why Ben from Ben & Jerry's blames America for war in Ukraine |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/ben-cohen-ukraine-war-russia-blames-america-ben-and-jerrys/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721131443/https://www.politico.eu/article/ben-cohen-ukraine-war-russia-blames-america-ben-and-jerrys/ |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=POLITICO}}</ref><ref name="Foresta_1/1/2024">{{cite web |last=Foresta |first=Mathew |date=January 1, 2024 |title=How the Grayzone went from left-wing darling to right-wing influencer |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/the-grayzone-max-blumenthal/ |website=The Daily Dot |publisher= |access-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113142325/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/the-grayzone-max-blumenthal/ |url-status=live | quote=And its turn to the far-right, with its founder embracing and appearing with politicians and influencers in the movement, is exemplary of a burgeoning movement of leftists turning to the right. }}</ref>

== Reporting and reception ==

''The Grayzone''{{'}}s news content is generally considered to be fringe,{{R|Zhang|Thompson|Chan|Davis-2021}} and the website maintains a pro-Kremlin editorial line,{{R|Fiorella|Carroll}} centered around an opposition to the foreign policy of the United States and a desire for a multipolar world.{{R|name=Thompson}} The site has been criticized for defending Russia and other authoritarian regimes.{{R|Thompson|Allen|Confidencial|Bawer}}{{R|Achcar}} In ''Reorienting Hong Kong's Resistance: Leftism, Decoloniality, and Internationalism'', ''The Grayzone'' was described as "known for misleading reporting in the service of authoritarian states".{{R|Wong}} Nerma Jelacic, writing in the ''Index on Censorship'', described ''The Grayzone'' as "a Kremlin-connected online outlet that pushes pro-Russian conspiracy theories and genocide denial."{{R|Jelacic}} In 2019, ''The Grayzone'' had claimed the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, of which Jelacic is a director, collaborated with ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra affiliates.{{R|Jelacic}}

In February 2021, tweets concerning a ''Grayzone'' article by Blumenthal were the first to receive a Twitter warning label stating "These materials may have been obtained through hacking". The story was titled "Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office–funded programs to 'weaken Russia', leaked docs reveal". The story referred to hacked and leaked documents and alleged that a British Army unit has used "social media to help fight wars".{{R|Binder|Judson}}

In early October 2023, former ''Grayzone'' contributor Ben Norton feuded with Blumenthal on Twitter over Norton's accusation that ''The Grayzone'' had taken a right-wing turn to appeal to supporters of Donald Trump. During the dispute, Blumenthal revealed that Norton had been fired for criticizing other contributors' anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine stances with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Norton said that Blumenthal had wrested control of Norton's ''Grayzone''-affiliated but independently produced podcast from him through legal maneuvering.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foresta |first=Mathew |date=January 1, 2024 |title=How the Grayzone went from left-wing darling to right-wing influencer |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/the-grayzone-max-blumenthal/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=The Daily Dot |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== China === The government of China, officials within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese state media have viewed ''The Grayzone''{{'}}s coverage of China positively.{{R|Zhang|Thompson|Allen|Ross-2021}} In order to dispute accusations of ongoing atrocities in Xinjiang, Chinese media and officials have increasingly cited posts from ''The Grayzone'' in their public communications.{{refn|name="China"|"China cites:"{{R|Thompson|Allen|Economist|Zhang|Dudley|Hamilton|Wong2023}}}} According to a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Chinese media and affiliated entities began to amplify articles from ''The Grayzone'' in December 2019 after the site posted an article critical of Xinjiang researcher Adrian Zenz.{{R|Zhang}} Chinese media cited ''The Grayzone'' at least 313 times between December 2019 and February 2021, 252 of which were in English-language publications, the report said.{{R|Zhang|Xiao}}<ref name=":3">{{cite news |title=Masterclass in Manipulation: Exposing Max Blumenthal's Lies About Israel and October 7 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-27/ty-article-opinion/exposing-max-blumenthals-deceptive-claim-israel-is-responsible-for-most-october-7-victims/0000018c-102f-d65f-a7dd-f0ff7b550000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210173747/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-27/ty-article-opinion/exposing-max-blumenthals-deceptive-claim-israel-is-responsible-for-most-october-7-victims/0000018c-102f-d65f-a7dd-f0ff7b550000 |archive-date=December 10, 2023 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |newspaper=Haaretz |publisher=Haatez}}</ref>

The site has promoted pro-Beijing narratives on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.{{R|Brandt}} In particular, it downplayed the widely reported scope of China's Xinjiang internment camps and other abuses by the Chinese government against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities.{{R|Zhang|Thompson|Allen|Ross-2021|DiMaggio}} Blumenthal has said that reports of the persecution of Uyghurs in China use "the hostile language of a Cold War, weaponizing a minority group". He stated in July 2020 that, "I don't have reason to doubt that there's something going in Xinjiang, that there could even be repression. But we haven't seen the evidence for these massive claims."{{R|Thompson}} ''The Grayzone'' has published articles intended to discredit researchers and organizations investigating the persecution of Uyghurs, saying that the figure of 1 million Uyghurs in re-education camps is based on "highly dubious" studies published by Chinese Human Rights Defenders and Adrian Zenz, and that those studies cannot be trusted because CHRD receives funding from the US government and Zenz is employed by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Contributor Ajit Singh and Blumenthal called Zenz an "evangelical religious fanatic" who "believes he is 'led by God' on a 'mission' against China."

In an article for Christian news magazine ''World'', June Cheng has defended CHRD and Zenz's research, saying that they used publicly available data released by the Chinese government to estimate the number of Uyghurs in detention, and that ''The Grayzone'' exaggerated the extent to which their research was based on a small number of interviews. Cheng has also criticized Singh and Blumenthal's attempts to discredit reports by Radio Free Asia, saying that despite it being funded and supervised by the US government, it is "the only Uighur-language news outlet in the world independent of the Chinese government."{{R|Cheng}} Azeezah Kanji and David Palumbo-Liu wrote that ''The Grayzone'' focuses on ''"''discrediting some prominent messengers calling attention to the Uighur's persecution while leaving the vast body of evidence behind the message largely untouched"; they argue that much of the evidence for persecution comes directly from Chinese state sources and that ''The Grayzone'' systematically ignore this evidence even in sources it cites.{{R|Azeezah}}

=== Israel–Palestine === An August 2018 ''Grayzone'' report revealed that Howard Sterling, an American lawyer that advises Israeli healthcare companies, was the owner of Canary Mission, a website reportedly dedicated to demonising pro-Palestinian students. Hamzah Raza, co-author of the report and allegedly a victim of Canary Mission himself, told Middle East Eye he hoped his research can stop the "defamation and harassment" of students "by taking away the anonymity that Canary Mission hides behind".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ali Harb |date=August 29, 2018 |title=Canary Mission: Mystery website demonising pro-Palestine students exposed |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/canary-mission-mystery-website-demonising-pro-palestine-students-exposed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629044141/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/canary-mission-mystery-website-demonising-pro-palestine-students-exposed |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 7, 2018 |title=In Case You Missed It: A Summer Full of Censorship for Palestine Supporters |url=https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/9/7/summer-2018-censorship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629044137/https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/9/7/summer-2018-censorship |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=Palestine Legal |language=en-US |quote=In August, the Grayzone Project identified the owner of Canary Mission's domain name as Howard Davis Sterling...An article published by the Grayzone Project revealed how right-wing groups sent employees to an on-campus protest to compensate for a lack of grassroots support for Israel on campus.}}</ref>

According to a November 2023 opinion article by biology researcher Michal Perach in ''Haaretz'', Max Blumenthal wrote a ''Grayzone'' article that denied evidence of Hamas' war crimes in its October 7 attacks and manipulated quotes from Israeli sources to paint Israel (instead of Hamas) as being responsible for most of the victims.<ref name=":3" /> Asa Winstanley, writing in ''The Electronic Intifada'', said that ''The Electronic Intifada'', ''The Grayzone'', Mondoweiss and ''The Cradle'' have "all found that many – if not most – of the 1,154 Israelis the government claims were killed by Palestinians were actually killed by Israel itself."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winstanley |first=Asa |date=2024-03-11 |title=Israel killed Israelis, confirms new 7 October documentary |url=https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-killed-israelis-confirms-new-7-october-documentary |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=The Electronic Intifada |language=en}}</ref> ''The Intercept'' said Blumenthal in ''The Grayzone'' and ''The Electronic Intifada'' were among the first outlets to flag inconsistencies in a ''New York Times'' report about sexual abuse during the October 7 attacks.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boguslaw |first1=Daniel |last2=Ryan |first2=Grim |last3=Jeremy |first3=Scahill |date=2024-02-29 |title=The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/new-york-times-anat-schwartz-october-7/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Grim |first1=Ryan |last2=Scahill |first2=Jeremy |date=2024-03-04 |title=Kibbutz Be'eri Rejects Story in New York Times October 7 Exposé: "They Were Not Sexually Abused" |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/03/04/nyt-october-7-sexual-violence-kibbutz-beeri/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref> An analysis in ''The Grayzone'' of a UN report corroborating Hamas rape allegations during the Gaza war, claimed the report had put forward "no evidence of systematic rape". The ''Grayzone'' also published a transcribed discussion between Max Blumenthal and Chris Hedges in which they agreed that Israel launched a "shock-and-awe campaign of misinformation" to create "political space for its brutal assault on Gaza".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prince-Gibson |first=Eetta |date=May 1, 2024 |title=Why Won't More Feminists Speak Up For Israeli Victims of Sexual Violence? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/01/israel-hamas-rape-un-women-feminists-sexual-violence/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240501220459/https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/01/israel-hamas-rape-un-women-feminists-sexual-violence/ |archive-date=May 1, 2024 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US |quote=It also corroborates other reports, most recently by the Association for Rape Crisis Centers in Israel as well as by the New York Times, Washington Post, Human Rights Watch, BBC, and others, regarding allegations of rape and ongoing sexual abuse of the hostages held in Gaza...More recently, articles in both the Grayzone and Mondoweiss analyze Patten's report and claim, in the words of the latter, that she actually provided "no evidence of systematic rape." The Grayzone also published a transcript of a discussion between Max Blumenthal and Chris Hedges in which they agree that Israel created a "shock-and-awe campaign of misinformation" in order to create "political space for its brutal assault on Gaza."}}</ref>

The Al Jazeera Journalism Review wrote a review of Blumenthal's 2024 documentary, ''Atrocity, Inc.'' They said that the film both questions the mainstream narratives advanced in the wake of the 7 October attacks, and criticizes the "failure of mainstream Western media to report on Israeli intentions to carry out genocidal massacres in Gaza." AJJR concludes that the film "is a call for media professionals to uphold their duty to the public and humanity by rigorously fact-checking official statements and resisting the seductive ease of propagandistic official narratives."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atrocity Inc.: What Max Blumenthal's New Documentary Reveals About Western Media's Complicity in Israeli Propaganda {{!}} Al Jazeera Media Institute |url=https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/2876 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=institute.aljazeera.net |language=en}}</ref>

On October 7, 2024, ''Grayzone'' journalist Jeremy Loffredo and three other international and Israeli journalists were detained at a checkpoint in the West Bank on suspicion of "assisting an enemy in war" for their reporting on the October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel. Loffredo's article showed the locations where Iranian missiles struck an Israeli air base near Nevatim and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv. The same information was also revealed by other media outlets. The journalists' cameras and phones were confiscated.<ref name="Shezaf" /><ref name="CPJ">{{cite web |date=11 October 2024 |title=US journalist arrested in Israel over reporting on Iranian missiles |url=https://cpj.org/2024/10/us-journalist-arrested-in-israel-over-reporting-on-iranian-missiles/ |access-date=1 November 2024 |website=Committee to Protect Journalists}}</ref><ref name="Valdez">{{Cite web |last=Valdez |first=Jonah |date=October 11, 2024 |title=U.S. Journalist Jeremy Loffredo Released After Being Detained by Israel for Four Days |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/10/11/us-journalist-jeremy-loffredo-released-israel-detained/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Stern |first=Seth |date=2024-10-11 |title=Why has Israel detained American journalist Jeremy Loffredo? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/11/journalist-jeremy-loffredo-israel-idf |access-date=2025-11-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077|quote="It complicates matters that Loffredo reports for the Grayzone, an outlet that has been accused of carrying Russian and Chinese propaganda. The [US] administration is embroiled in a separate (and constitutionally dubious) fight against alleged propagandists."}}</ref> The other journalists were released after six hours with Loffredo but the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court extended Loffredo's remand. His release was ordered by a judge after a Ynet reporter said the military censor had approved publishing Loffredo's video. The Police appealed this order because Loffredo refused to give investigators access to his phone but the Jerusalem District Court denied the appeal.<ref name="Shezaf" /> Jonah Valdez in ''The Intercept'' and Rivkah Brown in Novara Media said Loffredo's arrest drew little interest from Western media outlets.<ref name="Valdez" /><ref name="Brown">{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Rivkah |date=11 October 2024 |title=Israel Detained a US Journalist for 4 Days. Why Was the World Silent? |url=https://novaramedia.com/2024/10/11/israel-detained-a-us-journalist-for-4-days-why-was-the-world-silent/ |access-date=1 November 2024 |website=Novara Media}}</ref>

=== Latin America === When a humanitarian aid convoy on the border of Venezuela caught fire in February 2019, ''The Grayzone'' published an article by Blumenthal in which he stated that the U.S. government and mainstream media had falsely reported forces supporting President Nicolás Maduro were responsible for sparking the flames, writing that "the claim was absurd on its face." Glenn Greenwald, writing in ''The Intercept,'' commented that Blumenthal "compiled substantial evidence strongly suggesting that the trucks were set ablaze by ''anti-Maduro'' protesters" and that The New York Times took credit for reporting evidence compiled by ''The Grayzone'' weeks earlier when the ''Times'' later reversed its position.{{R|Greenwald}}

''The Grayzone'' promoted the Nicaraguan government's narrative on the 2018–2022 Nicaraguan protests and the November 2021 Nicaraguan general election.{{R|Davis-2021|Deibert|Davis-2018}} The platform also conducted an "unquestioning interview", according to ''The Guardian'', with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.{{R|Guardian|LaPrensa}} Blumenthal and Norton expressed their support for the government by dancing to "El Comandante se queda" (English: {{Lang|en|The Comandante Stays}}) a cumbia song composed in support of Ortega during the 2018 protests.{{R|LaPrensa}} ''The Grayzone'' published an open letter, promoted by RT, criticizing ''The Guardian''{{'}}s coverage of Nicaragua and one of its contributors, Carl David Goette-Luciak. Goette-Luciak was later arrested and deported by the Nicaraguan government. John Perry, writing under the pseudonym Charles Redvers, published a "confession" on ''The Grayzone'' of student protester Valeska Sandoval.{{R|Davis-2018}} The confession was false and Sandoval made it under duress while in prison.{{R|Davis-2021|Davis-2018|Deibert}}

=== Russia–Ukraine === Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the website has published disinformation, including the debunked claim that Ukrainian fighters were using civilians as human shields, and that the 2022 Mariupol theatre bombing was staged by the Azov Regiment to warrant NATO intervention.{{R|Ellery|VoxUkraine Nov 2023}} ''The Grayzone''{{'}}s invitation to the 2022 Web Summit, the largest technology conference in Europe, was withdrawn over backlash against the website's anti-Ukrainian narratives amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{R|Foy|Zuidijk|IE-2022}}

According to the Brookings Institution in 2023, Grayzone contributors such as Aaron Maté are among the most-promoted social media accounts boosted by Russian information networks in Latin America to promote Russia's narrative on its war with Ukraine.<ref>Brandt, Jessican, and Valerie Wirtschafter (2022) ''[https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/FP_20221216_russia_propaganda_brandt_wirtschafter.pdf Working the Western hemisphere: how Russia spreads propaganda about Ukraine in Latin America and the impact of platform responses].'' Brookings Institution.</ref>

After the documentary ''Navalny'' won an Academy Award in February 2023, ''The Grayzone'' published an article nominally authored by Lucy Komisar attacking the film; the article was actually written at least in part by the neural network Writesonic, and it referenced sources that did not exist as the basis for its criticism.{{R|Meduza|Insider Mar 2023|VanBrugen|Gault}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gault |first=Matthew |date=2023-03-16 |title=AI Injected Misinformation Into Article Claiming Misinformation in 'Navalny' Doc |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-injected-misinformation-into-article-claiming-misinformation-in-navalny-doc/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> ''The Grayzone'' amended the article following a controversy about the use of AI in the writing of the article, and then removed it at the request of Komisar.<ref name="Brugen 2023 j778">{{cite web |last=Brugen |first=Isabel van |date=March 15, 2023 |title=Navalny film "debunk" author rejects accusation of writing with AI |url=https://www.newsweek.com/navalny-film-documentary-oscars-grayzone-lucy-komisar-ai-1787945 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315204615/https://www.newsweek.com/navalny-film-documentary-oscars-grayzone-lucy-komisar-ai-1787945 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |access-date=January 30, 2024 |website=Newsweek}}</ref>

The Russian fake news website Peace Data has republished articles by ''The Grayzone'' in order to build a reputation as a progressive and anti-Western media source and to attract contributors.{{R|Quessard}} False claims published by ''The Grayzone'' are referenced by many Twitter users who backed the Russian government.{{R|Fiorella}}

=== Syria === Amid the Syrian civil war, the website supported the government of Bashar al-Assad.{{R|Fiorella}} Articles by ''Grayzone'' reporter Aaron Maté echoed claims by the Russian and Syrian governments that documents leaked to Wikileaks showed that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had "doctored" its report on the Douma chemical attack "to frame the Syrian government and justify the missile strikes launched by the US, UK and France against forces loyal to the government,"{{R|Bellingcat}} denying that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against civilians,{{R|DiMaggio|Foresta_4/29/2022|Bellingcat|Davis-2022b}} and accusing the OPCW of a "cover-up".{{R|Whitaker}}

Research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which studied 28 social media accounts, individuals, outlets and organisations, stated that Maté was the "most prolific spreader of disinformation" on matters concerning Syria amongst its study group, having surpassed Vanessa Beeley in 2020.{{R|Townsend}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Deadly Disinformation |url=https://deadlydisinformation.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011211757/https://deadlydisinformation.org/ |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |access-date=October 19, 2023 |website=Deadly Disinformation |publisher=The Syria Campaign}}</ref> Research published in 2020 in the Harvard Kennedy School's ''Misinformation Review'' found that Blumenthal was among the top 20 amplified accounts and ''Grayzone'' among the top 20 linked domains in a Twitter information ecosystem promoting pro-government, critical narratives about Syria's White Helmets organization.<ref>[https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PDFappendix_starbird_jan3.pdf Appendix] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524195538/https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PDFappendix_starbird_jan3.pdf|date=May 24, 2022}} to Starbird, K., & Wilson, T. (2020). Cross-platform disinformation campaigns: Lessons learned and next steps. ''Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review.'' https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-002 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902012316/https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/cross-platform-disinformation-campaigns/|date=September 2, 2024}}</ref>

== Funding ==

In 2022, Blumenthal stated that ''The Grayzone'' receives funding through Patreon and from "private friends of mine who are basically progressive Americans who support progressive media." He said ''The Grayzone'' receives no state funding from Russia or China.<ref name="Foresta_4/29/2022">{{Cite news |last=Foresta |first=Mathew |date=April 29, 2022 |title=Meet the Sneakiest Defenders of Putin's Invasion of Ukraine |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-sneakiest-defenders-of-vladimir-putins-ukraine-invasion-and-chinas-xinjiang-repression |access-date=June 18, 2023 |quote=During a recent interview, Blumenthal denied The Grayzone receives any state funding through Russia or China saying, "Well, you can see we get a lot of support on Patreon, and anyone who supports us outside Patreon are like private friends of mine who are basically progressive Americans who support progressive media." |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902112729/https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-sneakiest-defenders-of-vladimir-putins-ukraine-invasion-and-chinas-xinjiang-repression |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2023, GoFundMe froze more than $90,000 from 1,100 contributors to ''The Grayzone'', citing unspecified "external concerns". Blumenthal said he believed the concerns were political and related to the platform's coverage of the war in Ukraine. ''The Grayzone''<nowiki/>'s managing editor Wyatt Reed had also had issues with PayPal and Venmo since reporting on Ukraine.<ref name="Hale">{{cite news |last=Hale |first=Erin |date=September 1, 2023 |title=GoFundMe freezes donations for The Grayzone, sparking free speech debate |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/9/1/gofundme-freezes-donations-for-the-grayzone-sparking-free-speech-debate |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901131452/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/9/1/gofundme-freezes-donations-for-the-grayzone-sparking-free-speech-debate |url-status=live|quote=The Grayzone is known for its critical coverage of US foreign policy and anti-war views, but has been accused of spreading misinformation and Chinese and Russian government propaganda, including debunked claims about the conflict in Ukraine and whitewashed accounts of Beijing's repression of ethnic minority Muslims in far-western Xinjiang. }}</ref>

In June 2024, ''The Washington Post'' reported that hacked documents revealed that Reed received payments of around $5,500 from Iranian state-controlled broadcaster Press TV for "occasional contributions to its programming in 2020 and 2021".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Rachel Fink |date=June 4, 2024 |title=Report: Fringe anti-Israel News Site Editor Paid by Iran, Leaked Documents Show |url=https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2024-06-04/ty-article/report-fringe-anti-israel-news-site-editor-paid-by-iran-leaked-documents-show/0000018f-e389-dce5-abdf-e3adaf980000 |work=Haaretz |quote=Grayzone has been accused of disinformation and strongly pro-Iran, pro-Russia and anti-Israel views |access-date=June 9, 2024 |archive-date=June 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608051649/https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/2024-06-04/ty-article/report-fringe-anti-israel-news-site-editor-paid-by-iran-leaked-documents-show/0000018f-e389-dce5-abdf-e3adaf980000 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Staff == Several staff, former staff, and freelance writers have previously been employed by Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik, among them Anya Parampil, Alex Rubinstein, Kit Klarenberg, Wyatt Reed, Mohamed Elmaazi, Dan Cohen, Rania Khalek and Jeremy Loffredo.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Insider Mar 2023">{{cite web | title=US media outlet with ties to RT uses AI-generated sources in article on Navalny's "fake poisoning" | website=The Insider | date=March 14, 2023 | url=https://theins.ru/en/news/260135 | access-date=June 3, 2024 | quote=Blumenthal, who has authored multiple pieces for Russia Today, a state-owned news agency, and who is a frequent contributor to the outlet, established The Grayzone website just a month following his visit to Moscow. Anya Parampil and Alex Rubinstein, two other executives and journalists associated with The Grayzone, are also regular contributors to Russia Today, led by Margarita Simonyan. | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520083615/https://theins.ru/en/news/260135 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p440">{{cite web | title=RT America reporter arrested at Trump inauguration protest | website=U.S. Press Freedom Tracker | date=January 20, 2017 | url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/rt-america-reporter-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/ | access-date=June 3, 2024 | quote=Alexander Rubinstein, a reporter with the Russian state-funded broadcaster RT America, was arrested while covering protests on the day of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. | archive-date=May 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521020326/https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/rt-america-reporter-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Casalicchio">{{Cite web |last=Casalicchio |first=Emilio |date=August 28, 2022 |title=How a retired MI6 boss, his Brexiteer friends and a celebrity Marxist became targets in Russia's war on Ukraine |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/mi6-russia-hackers-used-a-pro-brexit-ex-mi6-boss-and-a-left-wing-labour-firebrand-in-its-ukraine-war/ |access-date=November 4, 2022 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US |archive-date=November 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104005526/https://www.politico.eu/article/mi6-russia-hackers-used-a-pro-brexit-ex-mi6-boss-and-a-left-wing-labour-firebrand-in-its-ukraine-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ahmad |first=Muhammad Idrees |date=September 26, 2024 |title=Public Mistrust of Gaza Coverage Is Opening Space for Russia-Linked Media on the Left |url=https://newlinesmag.com/argument/public-mistrust-of-gaza-coverage-is-opening-space-for-russia-linked-media-on-the-left/ |magazine=New Lines Magazine}}</ref> Parampil had previously worked as an anchor and correspondent for RT America.<ref name="Skliarevska 2022">{{cite web |last1=Skliarevska |first1=Gala |title=Dossier. In the grey zone. How did an American journalist turn into a pro-Russian propagandist? |url=https://ms.detector.media/trendi/post/30269/2022-09-16-dossier-in-the-grey-zone-how-did-an-american-journalist-turn-into-a-pro-russian-propagandist/ |website={{ill|MediaSapiens|uk}} |access-date=June 22, 2024 |date=September 16, 2022 |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218185836/https://ms.detector.media/trendi/post/30269/2022-09-16-dossier-in-the-grey-zone-how-did-an-american-journalist-turn-into-a-pro-russian-propagandist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Reed, who was credited as a managing editor as of 2023, made occasional contributions to Iranian state-run Press TV in 2020 and 2021.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last1=Menn |first1=Joseph |title=News site editor's ties to Iran, Russia show misinformation's complexity |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/02/grayzone-russia-iran-support/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602142725/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/02/grayzone-russia-iran-support/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also== *Double Down News * {{annotated link|MintPress News|''MintPress News''}}

==References== {{Duplicated citations|reason=DuplicateReferences script detected: * https://www.dailydot.com/debug/the-grayzone-max-blumenthal/ (refs: 48, 54) * https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-injected-misinformation-into-article-claiming-misinformation-in-navalny-doc/ (refs: 84, 85) |date=May 2026}}

<references> <ref name="Achcar">{{cite journal |last1=Achcar |first1=Gilbert |author-link1=Gilbert Achcar |date=October 10, 2019 |title=On Gutter Journalism and Purported "Anti-Imperialism" |url=https://newpol.org/on-gutter-journalism-and-purported-anti-imperialism/ |journal=New Politics |language=en |issn=0028-6494 |access-date=December 10, 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918082538/https://newpol.org/on-gutter-journalism-and-purported-anti-imperialism/ |archive-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>

<ref name="Allen">{{Cite news|last=Allen-Ebrahimian|first=Bethany|date=August 11, 2020|title=The American blog pushing Xinjiang denialism|work=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/grayzone-max-blumenthal-china-xinjiang-d95789af-263c-4049-ba66-5baedd087df4.html|access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322163950/https://www.axios.com/grayzone-max-blumenthal-china-xinjiang-d95789af-263c-4049-ba66-5baedd087df4.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Antelava">{{Cite web |last=Antelava |first=Natalia |date=March 10, 2022 |title=No off ramp for Putin as Ukraine burns |url=https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/putin-fake-news/ |access-date=April 17, 2022 |website=Coda Story |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520104949/https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/putin-fake-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Azeezah">{{Cite web|last1=Kanji|first1=Azeezah|last2=Palumbo-Liu|first2=David|date=May 14, 2021|title=The faux anti-imperialism of denying anti-Uighur atrocities|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/14/the-faux-anti-imperialism-of-denying-anti-uighur|url-status=live|access-date=September 20, 2021|work=Aljazeera|language=en|archive-date=October 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013001827/https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/14/the-faux-anti-imperialism-of-denying-anti-uighur}}</ref>

<ref name="Bawer">{{cite news|last=Bawer|first=Bruce|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/useful-idiot19/|title=Useful Idiot: The Curious Case of Max Blumenthal|work=Commentary|date=September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309040631/https://www.commentary.org/articles/bruce-bawer/useful-idiot19/|archive-date=March 9, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name="Bellingcat">{{Cite news|date=October 26, 2020|title=Unpublished OPCW Douma Correspondence Casts Further Doubt on Claims of 'Doctored' Report|work=Bellingcat|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/10/26/unpublished-opcw-douma-correspondence-raises-doubts-about-transparency-of-opcw-leaks-promoters/|quote=journalists have seized upon the documents released by 'Alex' as evidence that the OPCW falsified its report on Douma in order to frame the Syrian government for the attack and justify missile strikes launched by the US, UK and France against the government of Bashar al-Assad. Peter Hitchens at the Mail on Sunday, and Aaron Mate at The Grayzone have both written extensively on the matter.|access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305065603/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/10/26/unpublished-opcw-douma-correspondence-raises-doubts-about-transparency-of-opcw-leaks-promoters/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Binder">{{cite news |last1=Binder |first1=Matt |title=Twitter is now adding a controversial 'hacked materials' warning label to tweets |url=https://mashable.com/article/twitter-hacked-materials-warning-label/ |access-date=February 24, 2021 |work=Mashable |date=February 24, 2021 |language=en |quote=UPDATE: Feb. 24, 2021, 9:34 a.m. EST According to Twitter, this instance is indeed the first time the "hacked materials" warning label has been used. |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103180301/https://mashable.com/article/twitter-hacked-materials-warning-label |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Bloc">{{cite web |date=August 15, 2022 |last1=Bloc |first1=Ben |title=Russell Brand slammed by antisemitism campaigners for platforming Corbyn apologist |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/news/russell-brand-slammed-by-antisemitism-campaigners-for-platforming-corbyn-apologist-7K4Tc6c5zGyTEbRhlK4s3g |website=The Jewish Chronicle |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115134509/https://www.thejc.com/news/news/russell-brand-slammed-by-antisemitism-campaigners-for-platforming-corbyn-apologist-7K4Tc6c5zGyTEbRhlK4s3g |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Bloodworth-2020">{{Cite web |last=Bloodworth |first=James |author-link=James Bloodworth (journalist) |date=December 11, 2020 |title=China's useful idiots |url=https://unherd.com/2020/12/the-useful-idiots-are-back-again/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 27, 2021 |work=UnHerd |language=en-GB |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927091242/https://unherd.com/2020/12/the-useful-idiots-are-back-again/ }}</ref>

<ref name="Brandt">{{Cite journal |last=Brandt |first=Jessica |date=July 3, 2021 |title=How Autocrats Manipulate Online Information: Putin's and Xi's Playbooks |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2021.1970902 |journal=The Washington Quarterly |publisher=Taylor & Francis |volume=44 |issue=3 |page=137 |doi=10.1080/0163660X.2021.1970902 |s2cid=237597142 |issn=0163-660X |access-date=April 18, 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902112729/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0163660X.2021.1970902 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name="Carroll">{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Oliver |date=February 24, 2021 |title=Anger after Amnesty strips Navalny of 'prisoner of conscience' status |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/navalny-amnesty-russia-putin-kremlin-b1806712.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/navalny-amnesty-russia-putin-kremlin-b1806712.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |access-date=September 20, 2021 |work=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="Chan">{{Cite news|last=Chan|first=John|date=March 5, 2021|title=Campaign to Discredit BBC Revealed as Media Conditions Inside China Continue to Deteriorate|work=China Digital Times|url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2021/03/campaign-to-discredit-bbc-revealed-as-media-conditions-inside-china-continue-to-deteriorate/|access-date=September 20, 2021|archive-date=September 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920020328/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2021/03/campaign-to-discredit-bbc-revealed-as-media-conditions-inside-china-continue-to-deteriorate/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Cheng">{{cite web |last1=Cheng |first1=June |title=Xinjiang deniers |url=https://wng.org/articles/xinjiang-deniers-1617297073 |website=World |access-date=August 26, 2022 |language=en |date=October 13, 2020 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808020913/https://wng.org/articles/xinjiang-deniers-1617297073 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Chik">{{Cite web|last1=Chik|first1=Holly|last2=Baptista|first2=Eduardo|date=March 30, 2021|title=The China-based foreigners defending Beijing from Xinjiang genocide claims|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3127611/china-based-foreigners-defending-beijing-xinjiang-genocide|url-status=live|access-date=September 27, 2021|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020020338/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3127611/china-based-foreigners-defending-beijing-xinjiang-genocide}}</ref>

<ref name="Confidencial">{{Cite web |date=August 20, 2019 |title=Las mentiras de Daniel Ortega ante la prensa internacional |url=https://www.confidencial.com.ni/politica/las-sanciones-internacionales-aquejan-a-la-dictadura/ |access-date=April 27, 2022 |website=Confidencial |language=es |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427121406/https://www.confidencial.com.ni/politica/las-sanciones-internacionales-aquejan-a-la-dictadura/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Cuffe">{{Cite web |last1=Cuffe |first1=Danil |last2=Simon |first2=Chloe |date=November 4, 2021 |title=Fringe right-wing media and conspiracy theorists spread antisemitic disinformation about the Pandora Papers |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/fringe-right-wing-media-and-conspiracy-theorists-spread-antisemitic |url-status=live |access-date=November 8, 2021 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314013254/https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/fringe-right-wing-media-and-conspiracy-theorists-spread-antisemitic }}</ref>

<ref name="Dávid">{{Cite web |last=Dávid |first=Sajó |date=April 1, 2022 |title=I watched Russian propaganda for a whole day – even Hungary's public media is easier to stomach |url=https://telex.hu/english/2022/04/01/i-watched-russian-propaganda-for-a-whole-day-even-hungarys-public-media-is-easier-to-stomach |access-date=April 17, 2022 |website=Telex.hu |language= |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419232437/https://telex.hu/english/2022/04/01/i-watched-russian-propaganda-for-a-whole-day-even-hungarys-public-media-is-easier-to-stomach |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Davis-2018">{{Cite news|last=Davis|first=Charles|date=October 4, 2018|title=In Nicaragua, Torture Is Used to Feed 'Fake News'|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/in-nicaragua-torture-is-used-to-feed-fake-news|access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-date=September 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911210855/https://www.thedailybeast.com/in-nicaragua-torture-is-used-to-feed-fake-news|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Davis-2021">{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Charles|date=November 1, 2021|title=Facebook says it just uncovered one of the largest troll farms ever - run by the government of Nicaragua|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-said-uncovered-troll-farm-run-by-nicaraguan-government-2021-11|url-status=live|access-date=November 6, 2021|website=Business Insider|language=en|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106021006/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-said-uncovered-troll-farm-run-by-nicaraguan-government-2021-11}}</ref>

<ref name="Davis-2022b">{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Charles|url=https://newpol.org/inside-look-how-prorussia-trolls-got-splc-censor-commie/|title=An Inside Look at How Pro-Russia Trolls Got the SPLC to Censor a Commie|website=New Politics|date=April 3, 2018|access-date=June 13, 2022|quote=In a July 7, 2017 article for his self-funded Grayzone Project, Blumenthal and his associate Benjamin Norton likewise cast doubt on the guilt of the only party known to have possessed and used sarin in the Syrian conflict.|archive-date=March 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303213743/https://newpol.org/inside-look-how-prorussia-trolls-got-splc-censor-commie/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Deibert">{{cite web | last=Deibert | first=Michael | title=In Latin America, Backers of Leftist Dictatorships Look the Other Way | website=New Lines Magazine | date=January 12, 2022 | url=https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/in-latin-america-backers-of-leftist-dictatorships-look-the-other-way/ | access-date=June 17, 2022 | quote=During the elections themselves...a carnival sideshow of figures descended on the country to be feted by [the] regime... ubiquitous was the U.S. journalist Ben Norton, affiliated with the website The Grayzone, which has made something of a cottage industry of defending dictators and their crimes. A reliable government booster nonetheless forced to admit on state television that there were no lines at polling booths, Norton was lampooned by the Nicaraguan blog Bacanalnica as a "cartoon … who hangs out with the most nefarious governments on the planet." | archive-date=June 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628044827/https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/in-latin-america-backers-of-leftist-dictatorships-look-the-other-way/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Dudley">{{Cite news|last1=Dudley|first1=Renee|last2=Kao|first2=Jeff|date=July 30, 2020|title=The Disinfomercial: How Larry King Got Duped Into Starring in Chinese Propaganda|work=ProPublica|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/the-disinfomercial-how-larry-king-got-duped-into-starring-in-chinese-propaganda|access-date=September 13, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182354/https://www.propublica.org/article/the-disinfomercial-how-larry-king-got-duped-into-starring-in-chinese-propaganda|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Economist">{{Cite news|date=May 8, 2021|title=China pushes back against critics of its policies in Xinjiang|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/china/2021/05/08/china-pushes-back-against-critics-of-its-policies-in-xinjiang|access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912072434/https://www.economist.com/china/2021/05/08/china-pushes-back-against-critics-of-its-policies-in-xinjiang|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Ellery">{{Cite news |last=Ellery |first=Ben |title=University of Edinburgh academic Tim Hayward accused of spreading propaganda |language=en |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/university-of-edinburgh-academic-tim-hayward-accused-of-spreading-propaganda-jlg8hxrhh |access-date=April 18, 2022 |issn=0140-0460 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220322100843/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/university-of-edinburgh-academic-tim-hayward-accused-of-spreading-propaganda-jlg8hxrhh |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Fiorella">{{Cite journal |last1=Fiorella |first1=Giancarlo |last2=Godart |first2=Charlotte |last3=Waters |first3=Nick |date=July 14, 2021 |title=Digital Integrity: Exploring Digital Evidence Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Strategies for Open Source Researchers |url=https://academic.oup.com/jicj/article/19/1/147/6320889 |journal=Journal of International Criminal Justice |language=en |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=147–161 |doi=10.1093/jicj/mqab022 |issn=1478-1387 |url-access=subscription |quote=These grassroots communities are particularly evident on Twitter, where they coalesce around individual personalities like right-wing activist Andy Ngo, and around platforms with uncritical pro-Kremlin and pro-Assad editorial lines, like ''The Grayzone'' and ''MintPress News''. These personalities and associated outlets act as both producers of counterfactual theories, as well as hubs around which individuals with similar beliefs rally. The damage that these ecosystems and the theories that they spawn can inflict on digital evidence is not based on the quality of the dis/misinformation that they produce but rather on the quantity. |accessdate=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105215042/https://academic.oup.com/jicj/article/19/1/147/6320889 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Freedman">{{cite web | last=Freedman | first=Lawrence | title=False flag attacks are usually just that – false | website=New Statesman | date=May 4, 2023 | url=https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/ukraine/2023/05/false-flag-attacks-lawrence-freedman | access-date=June 17, 2024 | archive-date=May 19, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519030519/https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/ukraine/2023/05/false-flag-attacks-lawrence-freedman | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Foy">{{Cite news |last=Foy |first=Simon |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Web Summit maverick accused of pandering to Putin |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/10/27/web-summit-maverick-accused-pandering-putin/ |access-date=October 27, 2022 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027204253/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/10/27/web-summit-maverick-accused-pandering-putin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Gault">{{cite web | last=Gault | first=Matthew | title=AI Injected Misinformation Into Article Claiming Misinformation in 'Navalny' Doc | website=VICE | date=March 16, 2023 | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-injected-misinformation-into-article-claiming-misinformation-in-navalny-doc/ | access-date=March 16, 2023 | archive-date=March 16, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316164906/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3akz8y/ai-injected-misinformation-into-article-claiming-misinformation-in-navalny-doc | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Greenwald">{{Cite news |last=Greenwald |first=Glenn |author-link=Glenn Greenwald |date=March 10, 2019 |title=NYT's Exposé on the Lies About Burning Humanitarian Trucks in Venezuela Shows How US Govt and Media Spread Fake News |work=The Intercept |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/03/10/nyts-expose-on-the-lies-about-burning-humanitarian-trucks-in-venezuela-shows-how-us-govt-and-media-spread-fake-news/ |access-date=March 11, 2019 |archive-date=March 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310223126/https://theintercept.com/2019/03/10/nyts-expose-on-the-lies-about-burning-humanitarian-trucks-in-venezuela-shows-how-us-govt-and-media-spread-fake-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |date=October 2, 2018 |title=Nicaragua deports reporter who covered anti-Ortega protests |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/02/nicaragua-deports-reporter-who-covered-anti-ortega-protests |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609061720/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/02/nicaragua-deports-reporter-who-covered-anti-ortega-protests |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Hamilton">{{cite web | title=Hamilton Weekly Report: April 25-May 1, 2020 | website=Alliance For Securing Democracy | date=May 4, 2020 | url=https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/hamilton-weekly-report-april-25-may-1-2020/ | access-date=June 18, 2024 | archive-date=August 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820103746/https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/hamilton-weekly-report-april-25-may-1-2020/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="IE-2022">{{Cite web |last= |last2= |first2= |last3= |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Web Summit rescinds invitation to far-left website to attend 2022 conference |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40992707.html |access-date=October 27, 2022 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027204255/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40992707.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Jelacic">{{Cite journal|last=Jelacic|first=Nerma|date=July 1, 2021|title=Spinning bomb|url=https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2021/08/spinning-bomb-fighting-the-disinformation-war/|journal=Index on Censorship|language=en|publisher=SAGE Publishing|volume=50|issue=2|pages=16–23|doi=10.1177/03064220211033782|s2cid=236179842|issn=0306-4220|access-date=November 24, 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122174313/https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2021/08/spinning-bomb-fighting-the-disinformation-war/|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="Judson">{{cite news |last=Judson |first=Jen |title=Virtual boots on the ground: British Army grapples with operating in the gray zone |url=https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/dsei/2019/09/09/virtual-boots-on-the-ground-british-army-grapples-with-operating-in-the-gray-zone |access-date=December 9, 2021 |publisher=DefenseNews; DSEI |date=September 10, 2019 |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902112730/https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/dsei/2019/09/09/virtual-boots-on-the-ground-british-army-grapples-with-operating-in-the-gray-zone/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="LaPrensa">{{cite web |date=August 19, 2019 |title=Periodistas que entrevistaron a Ortega rinden culto al dictador al son de "El Comandante se queda" |url=https://www.laprensani.com/2019/08/19/politica/2580457-periodistas-que-entrevistaron-a-ortega-rinden-culto-al-dictador-al-son-de-el-comandante-se-queda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206180238/https://www.laprensani.com/2019/08/19/politica/2580457-periodistas-que-entrevistaron-a-ortega-rinden-culto-al-dictador-al-son-de-el-comandante-se-queda |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=June 15, 2022 |website=La Prensa |language=es}}</ref>

<ref name="Lang">{{Cite news |last=Lang |first=Marissa J. |date=August 1, 2019 |title=Activists who occupied Venezuela's embassy in Washington honored at ceremony in Caracas |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/08/01/activists-who-occupied-venezuelas-embassy-washington-honored-ceremony-caracas/ |access-date=September 20, 2021 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801030555/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/08/01/activists-who-occupied-venezuelas-embassy-washington-honored-ceremony-caracas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="March 2023 Monthly Forecast 2023">{{cite web | title=Arria-formula Meeting on "Risks Stemming from the Politicization of the Activities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons" : What's In Blue : Security Council Report | website=March 2023 Monthly Forecast | date=March 23, 2023 | url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/03/arria-formula-meeting-on-risks-stemming-from-the-politicization-of-the-activities-of-the-organization-for-the-prohibition-of-chemical-weapons.php | access-date=March 24, 2023 | archive-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720022046/https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/03/arria-formula-meeting-on-risks-stemming-from-the-politicization-of-the-activities-of-the-organization-for-the-prohibition-of-chemical-weapons.php | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="McGreevy">{{Cite news |last=McGreevy |first=Ronan |title=Web Summit cancels invitations to two speakers following 'pro-Russian' backlash |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/10/28/web-summit-cancels-invitations-to-two-speakers-following-pro-russian-backlash/ |access-date=October 29, 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en |archive-date=November 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120204715/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/10/28/web-summit-cancels-invitations-to-two-speakers-following-pro-russian-backlash/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Meduza">{{cite news |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Связанное с российской пропагандой издание опубликовало статью с критикой фильма "Навальный". Текст написали с помощью нейросети, которая выдумала источники информации |trans-title=A publication associated with Russian propaganda published an article criticizing the film "Navalny". The text was written using a neural network that invented sources of information |language=ru |work=Meduza |url=https://meduza.io/news/2023/03/14/svyazannoe-s-rossiyskoy-propagandoy-izdanie-opublikovalo-statyu-s-kritikoy-filma-navalnyy-tekst-napisali-s-pomoschyu-neyroseti-kotoraya-vydumala-istochniki-informatsii |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314190419/https://meduza.io/news/2023/03/14/svyazannoe-s-rossiyskoy-propagandoy-izdanie-opublikovalo-statyu-s-kritikoy-filma-navalnyy-tekst-napisali-s-pomoschyu-neyroseti-kotoraya-vydumala-istochniki-informatsii |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="mid.ru p415">{{cite web | website=mid.ru | url=https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1895632/?lang=en | access-date=July 8, 2023 | title=Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, July 6, 2023 | archive-date=September 2, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902112730/https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1895632/?lang=en | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Постоянное представительство Российской Федерации при ООН 2023">{{cite web | title=Remarks by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at meeting of UNSC members | website=Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations | date=March 24, 2023 | url=https://russiaun.ru/en/news/opcw_240323 | access-date=March 27, 2023|archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511211152/https://russiaun.ru/en/news/opcw_240323}}</ref>

<ref name="Quessard">{{Cite journal |last=Quessard |first=Maud |date=2020 |title=Quels dangers pour la démocratie américaine ? |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26983667 |journal=Diplomatie |language=French |issue=106 |pages=81 |issn=1761-0559 |jstor=26983667 |access-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426082308/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26983667 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Ross">{{Cite journal |last=Ross |first=Alexander Reid |author-link=Alexander Reid Ross |date=November 8, 2019 |title=Fooling the Nation: Extremism and the Pro-Russia Disinformation Ecosystem |url=https://www.boundary2.org/2019/11/alexander-reid-ross-fooling-the-nation-extremism-and-the-pro-russia-disinformation-ecosystem/#_ftn81 |journal=Boundary 2 |publisher=Duke University Press |access-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-date=July 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719133650/https://www.boundary2.org/2019/11/alexander-reid-ross-fooling-the-nation-extremism-and-the-pro-russia-disinformation-ecosystem/#_ftn81 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Ross-2020">{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Alexander Reid |author-link=Alexander Reid Ross |date=June 19, 2020 |title=Russia's Disinformation War on America Takes Racist Aim at Black Lives Matter |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/2020-06-19/ty-article-opinion/.premium/russias-disinformation-campaign-takes-racist-aim-at-black-lives-matter/0000017f-f15d-d223-a97f-fddd946b0000 |access-date=September 20, 2021 |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006075135/https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-russia-s-disinformation-campaign-takes-racist-aim-at-black-lives-matter-1.8929385 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Ross-2021">{{Cite news|last=Ross|first=Alexander Reid|author-link=Alexander Reid Ross|date=July 27, 2021|title=Meet 'Leftist' Grayzone's New Neo-fascist Allies in Denying China's Genocide of Uyghurs|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021-07-27/ty-article-opinion/.premium/grayzone-genocide-denial-meet-the-u-s-authoritarian-lefts-neo-fascist-allies/0000017f-f30e-d8a1-a5ff-f38e6cc30000|access-date=June 9, 2022|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014063647/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-grayzone-genocide-denial-meet-the-u-s-authoritarian-left-s-neo-fascist-allies-1.10033313|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Sebok">{{Cite web |last=Sebok |first=Filip |date=April 30, 2021 |title=Czechia: A Case Study of China's Changing Overseas Propaganda Efforts |url=https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/czechia-a-case-study-of-chinas-changing-overseas-propaganda-efforts/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2021 |work=The Diplomat |language=en-US |archive-date=May 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504231215/https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/czechia-a-case-study-of-chinas-changing-overseas-propaganda-efforts/ }}</ref>

<ref name="Shezaf">{{cite web | last=Shezaf | first=Hagar | title=Israel Releases American Journalist Arrested for Disclosing Intel on Iranian Missile Attack | website=Haaretz.com | date=13 October 2024 | url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-10-13/ty-article/.premium/israel-releases-american-journalist-arrested-for-disclosing-intel-on-iranian-attack/00000192-8518-d569-a3be-d7bd31e20000 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20241014224347/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-10-13/ty-article/.premium/israel-releases-american-journalist-arrested-for-disclosing-intel-on-iranian-attack/00000192-8518-d569-a3be-d7bd31e20000|archive-date=14 October 2024|access-date=1 November 2024|quote=Journalist Jeremy Loffredo works for the U.S.-based news site Grayzone, which is aligned with the far left, engages in conspiracy theories and has ties with Iran and Russia.}}</ref>

<ref name="Townsend">{{Cite web |last=Townsend |first=Mark |date=June 19, 2022 |title=Network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/19/russia-backed-network-of-syria-conspiracy-theorists-identified |access-date=June 19, 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619071238/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/19/russia-backed-network-of-syria-conspiracy-theorists-identified |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="VanBrugen">{{cite news |last1=VanBrugen |first1=Isabel |title=Navalny Film 'Debunk' Partly Written Using AI, Investigators Claim |url=https://www.newsweek.com/navalny-film-documentary-oscars-grayzone-lucy-komisar-ai-1787945 |work=Newsweek |date=March 15, 2023 |access-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315204615/https://www.newsweek.com/navalny-film-documentary-oscars-grayzone-lucy-komisar-ai-1787945 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="VanderMade">{{Cite web |last=Van der Made |first=Jan |date=April 8, 2021 |title=China's state television risks losing broadcast licence in France |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20210408-china-s-state-television-risks-losing-broadcast-licence-in-france |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2021 |work=Radio France Internationale |language=en |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009030555/https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20210408-china-s-state-television-risks-losing-broadcast-licence-in-france }}</ref>

<ref name="VoxUkraine Nov 2023">{{cite web |title=Messing with the Truth: Disinformation in the West Spread by Max Blumenthal |url=https://voxukraine.org/en/messing-with-the-truth-disinformation-in-the-west-spread-by-max-blumenthal |website=VoxUkraine |access-date=June 15, 2024 |date=November 28, 2023 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902012329/https://voxukraine.org/en/messing-with-the-truth-disinformation-in-the-west-spread-by-max-blumenthal |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Whitaker">{{Cite web |last=Whitaker |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Whitaker |date=November 4, 2021 |title=The 'Echo Chamber' of Syrian Chemical Weapons Conspiracy Theorists |url=https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-echo-chamber-of-syrian-chemical-weapons-conspiracy-theorists/ |access-date=June 13, 2022 |website=New Lines Magazine |language=en |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526024159/https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-echo-chamber-of-syrian-chemical-weapons-conspiracy-theorists/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Wong">{{Citation |last1=Wong |first1=Vincent |title=How to Abolish the Hong Kong Police |date=2022 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-16-4659-1_3 |work=Reorienting Hong Kong's Resistance |pages=37–38 |editor-last=Liu |editor-first=Wen |place=Singapore |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-4659-1_3 |isbn=978-981-16-4659-1 |quote=The Grayzone, a publication known for misleading reporting in the service of authoritarian states... |access-date=April 26, 2022 |last2=Wong |first2=Edward Hon-Sing |s2cid=221671633 |editor2-last=Chien |editor2-first=Jn |editor3-last=Chung |editor3-first=Christina |editor4-last=Tse |editor4-first=Ellie |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902113322/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-4659-1_3 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name="Wong2023">{{cite book| last=Wong | first=Vincent | chapter=Nationalist Backlash to Anti-Racist Education: A Transnational Blueprint for Academic Unfreedom | editor-first=Frédéric |editor-last=Mégret |editor-first2=Nandini |editor-last2=Ramanujam| title=Academic Freedom in a Plural World: Global Critical Perspectives|publisher=Central European University Press| year=2023 | issn=1556-5068 | doi=10.2139/ssrn.4647581 |isbn=978-963-386-653-5 |quote=Xinhua's interview of de Zayas prominently features references to reporting by The Grayzone, an influential news website well known for misleading reporting, sympathetic coverage of authoritarian regimes, and conspiracy theories regarding Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, and Xinjiang.71 Specifically, The Grayzone published articles that characterize US policies to address unfree labour within camp-to-factory pipelines72 in the XUAR as fundamentally 'anti-China' and that actually hurt communities targeted by Chinese counterinsurgency since they 'cost Uyghur workers their jobs'.}}</ref>

<ref name="Xiao">{{Cite news|last=Xiao|first=Eva|date=March 30, 2021|title=China Used Twitter, Facebook More Than Ever Last Year for Xinjiang Propaganda|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-used-twitter-facebook-more-than-ever-last-year-for-xinjiang-propaganda-11617101007|access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505223808/https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-used-twitter-facebook-more-than-ever-last-year-for-xinjiang-propaganda-11617101007|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Zhang">Zhang, Albert; Wallis, Jacob; and Meers, Zoe. (March 2021) [https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/2021-03/Strange%20bedfellows.pdf Strange bedfellows on Xinjiang: The CCP, fringe media and US social media platforms.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912072357/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/2021-03/Strange%20bedfellows.pdf |date=September 12, 2021 }} ''Australian Strategic Policy Institute.''</ref>

<ref name="Zuidijk">{{Cite news |last=Zuidijk |first=Daniel |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Europe's Web Summit Withdraws Invitation to the Grayzone Website |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/web-summit-says-it-s-withdrawn-invite-from-the-grayzone-website |access-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902113231/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/web-summit-says-it-s-withdrawn-invite-from-the-grayzone-website |url-status=live }}</ref> </references>

== External links == * {{official website}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayzone, The}} Category:Alternative journalism organizations Category:American news websites Category:American political websites Category:Anti-Ukrainian sentiment Category:Anti-Western sentiment Category:Anti-Zionism in the United States Category:Fake news websites Category:Far-left politics in the United States Category:Internet properties established in 2015 Category:Pro-Russian propaganda