In the aftermath of Russia’s deadly attack in Mariupol, Ukraine, that left nearly 600 civilians dead, journalist Maria Ponomarenko found herself ensnared in a legal battle for posting online that Russia was responsible, which the Russian defense ministry denied. In February 2023, she was sentenced to six years in prison for spreading “false” information about the Russian military.
Her case is emblematic of a growing global trend as countries around the world try to protect their news ecosystems from the flood of dangerous misinformation proliferating online. Independent journalists are often caught in the crosshairs of legislation meant to combat misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information (MDM).