I have noticed many “alarming” items posted on social media, particularly Youtube and TikTok, that were exaggerated, omitted context, were untrue or were uncertain due to the “fog of war”.

On Youtube there are numerous channels with names like “US Defense News” or “US military news” or even one labeled “news TV” – which sound official but are nothing more than opportunists who take (usually) public domain video from defense department public relations web sites and re-edit into what seems like a “news cast”. They are not authoritative sources yet often receive millions of views, generating ad revenue for the channel creator.

There are social media sources that are suspected of being fake accounts set up to spread fake information as part of propaganda messaging.

I have used Youtube options to mark all such channels as “Do not recommend this channel”.

With a few exceptions – social media is the worst possible place to obtain news about Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine. I make exceptions for those who I have followed for a long time and understand their position, consistent messaging and the quality of what they have done.

Bottom Line: Be extremely cautious of anything you read, see or hear on social media. Most of the time, it should not be considered unreliable until time confirms the story – or disproves the story.