Search for ‘African Stream’ on Wikipedia. Notice how the first line immediately alleges that our pan-African, anti-imperialist outlet is a Kremlin proxy? As far back as July, The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal explained that the barrage of media attacks on African Stream from outlets such as NBC was designed to provide a fund of information to be used by Wikipedia. Regarded by many as a reliable source, this Wiki info is then used to shape public perceptions and even fed into AI models.
Since the Max Blumenthal interview, apart from NBC, African Stream has been attacked by the US state-funded Voice of America, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the Stanford Internet Observatory. No evidence has been provided for any of the allegations pressed.
While disappointing, Western hypocrisy and double standards are not surprising. We only need to look at the treatment of figures like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden to realise that US claims of being a bastion of democracy and a defender of media freedom are mere posturing. The empire maintains a tight grip on the views and opinions it will tolerate, silencing any voices – like our own – that challenge its imperalist interests.