INVESTIGATION
Bogus social media “news” pages aggressively spreading Pauline Hanson propaganda are lavishing praise on her bankroller Gina Rinehart.
Investigations show sham “news” pages aggressively spruiking Hanson and her far-right One Nation are also spreading clinical propaganda advocating the mining multi-billionaire.
Rinehart is “fearless and independent” and a “national contributor” who is backing the “Australian way”, states one of many posts to sham Facebook “news” site, “Australia News Zone”.
As previoulsy reported, it is one of a string of bogus Facebook news pages hosting vast amounts of propaganda spruiking pro-Hanson propaganda. Others include “Australia News” and “Breaking News: Australia”.
The revelations come as the Albanese Government yesterday announced plans to give Australians more choice over the content they see, by being able to “opt-out” of social media feeds driven by algorithms.
Those choosing to do so would instead only see content from contacts and creators they choose to follow.
Between them, “Australia News Zone”, “Australia News” and “Breaking News: Australia” have hundreds of posts a day.
Yet Facebook’s extremely weak “transparency” measures make it impossible to determine who is running the pages.
“Australia News Zone”
As with the pro-Hanson propaganda, many of the Rinehart posts are framed as “questions” — in an apparent bid to skirt Facebook’s moderation tools.
“Is Gina Rinehart a true Australian Great?”, asks the “Australia News Zone” post, which spruiks Rinehart as “fearless and independent”.
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Source: Facebook/”Australia News Zone”
It features an AI-generated image depicting the multi-billionaire — and Australia’s richest person — in front of an Australian flag.
She is “backing communities, infrastructure, and the Australian way” and has “a story worth knowing”.
Rinehart has “strong leadership”, “Aussie spirit”, and is a “leader who speaks her mind and stands by her vision”, it states.
Source: Facebook/”Australia News Zone”.
Another post to the same sham “news” site “Australia News Zone”, states similarly: “Is Gina Rinehart a true Australian great?”
It is accompanied with an AI image depicting Rinehart standing at a podium in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The text above the image reads like an AI-prompt. “Set against the iconic backdrop of Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and the Australian flag, she [Rinehart] is depicted at a podium addressing the nation,” it states.
It continues: “The bold text overlay asks viewers to share their perspective on her legacy and impact on the country: ‘IS GINA RINEHART A TRUE AUSTRALIAN GREAT?'”
Source: Facebook/”Australia News Zone”.
Yet another post to the page states: “Is Gina Rinehart a true Australian great?”
It is accompanied with an AI depiction of Rinehart standing in front of the Australian flag before a bank of microphones.
Above the image it states: “Is Gina Rinehart one of Australia’s most influential figures?”
Alongside Rinehart propaganda, bogus “news” page “Australia News Zone” hosts vast amounts of pro-Hanson material. Source: Facebook/”Australia News Zone”.
Many of the posts on the sham “news” pages feature Hanson and Rinehart together.
“Do you support Pauline Hanson and Gina Rinehart standing up for Australia?” states another post to “Australia News Zone”.
“Love her or hate her, Gina Rinehart is backing Pauline Hanson, do you approve?” states yet another post to the page.
Users are invited to click thumbs-up for “yes” — and to click heart for “no”.
The post features an AI-generated image of the pair with two Australian flags.
None of the posts carry political disclosures.
Source: Facebook/”Australia News Zone”
Like Hanson, Rinehart refused to respond when asked about the sham “news” sites spreading propaganda on her behalf.
Rinehart refused to respond when asked whether she, or any of her associated entities, was “connected to these Facebook pages in any way” (and if so what is that connection) and whether she or any of her associated entities was “funding these Facebook pages in any way”.
Refusing to answer: Questions to Gina Rinehart.
“Breaking News: Australia”
Like “Australia News Zone”, sham Facebook “news” page “Breaking News: Australia” aggressively spreads One Nation propaganda and pro-Rinehart material.
Again, posts to the page are framed, at least ostensibly, as “questions”.
“Is Gina Rinehart good for Australia?” states one AI-generated image.
Immediately underneath are the words: “Jobs”, “Investment”, “Resources” and “Opportunity”.
Source: Facebook/ “Breaking News: Australia”.
Another post states: “Love her or hate her, Gina Rinehart is backing Pauline Hanson. Do you approve?”
Readers are invited to leave a thumb’s up for “yes” and a heart for “no”.
Source: Facebook/”Breaking News: Australia”
After more than 30 years at the fringes of politics, support for Hanson and One Nation exploded late last year.
That surge has corresponded with masses of pro-Hanson and pro-One Nation propaganda flooding social media.
Rinehart has been a key player in importing US “MAGA” politics to Australia, which is being embraced by Hanson and others in One Nation.
The multi-billionaire has “donated” millions to Hanson and One Nation over the past year, including gifting the far-right politician an aeroplane.
Sham news page “Breaking News: Australia” hosts vast amounts of Hanson and One Nation propaganda. Source: Facebook
None of the pages, “Australia News Zone”, “Breaking News: Australia” or “Australia News” carries any political disclosure or disclaimer.
“Australia News Zone” describes itself as a group for “sharing news, history and culture”.
The “about” section for “Breaking News: Australia” states:
“Stay informed with the latest updates, breaking news, and heartwarming stories from across Australia.
“Join us in celebrating the positivity and resilience of our great nation every day!”
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
