Fake News Site Impersonates Journalists, Spreads Conspiracy Theories

A deceptive news site, exhibiting characteristics of previous Russian disinformation campaigns, has been impersonating journalists from prominent news outlets since early June. The site, named “Enquête du jour,” publishes numerous articles on current events, largely plagiarized from established media sources. It also disseminated a conspiracy theory on July 1st, alleging that Brigitte Macron is transgender, as reported by Franceinfo.

This particular piece, which includes a video combining genuine footage of an old event with an AI-generated interview, promotes the idea that a doctor’s recent death was the result of a conspiracy involving Mrs. Macron, without providing any evidence. The article is falsely attributed to Audrey Parmentier, a regular contributor, whose identity has been stolen. Similarly, the identities of other journalists have been used for other articles published on the site. All the journalists affected by this impersonation have worked for the news site Streetpress.

Known Russian Operator

The methods used and the details of the site strongly resemble a well-documented modus operandi, particularly that of Storm-1516. This pro-Russian group, specializing in the creation and dissemination of false information, is reportedly led by John Dougan, a former American sheriff now residing in Moscow.

Multiple fake news sites and sites impersonating political parties have been attributed to Storm-1516. In May, French authorities condemned these “destabilizing activities of Russia” after identifying at least “77 Russian information operations targeting France, Ukraine, and all Western countries.”

Read also: A major Russian disinformation campaign against France may have “poisoned” AI tools.

By Staff Writer

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