Amid Heartbreaking Israel-Hamas Conflict, Devastated Mikaela Shiffrin Raises Voice Against Misinformation on Billion Dollar Platforms

The ongoing crisis between Israel and Palestine has sent shockwaves around the world. In the past week, this war has led to the demise of thousands and even more injured, escalating rapidly after Hamas fighters fired rockets into Israel and attacked concert goers at a music festival near the border. The fighters also took around 150 civilians as hostages. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, and hence the catastrophe stunned the world to the core.

The war has since claimed the lives of nearly 1,400 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians. On the other side of this devastating conflict, over 2,700 Palestinians have lost their lives in numerous Israeli military airstrikes on Gaza. Devastating images and videos from the war zone have flooded social media, amplifying panic and sorrow. In this grim scenario, Alpine skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin has stepped forward, raising her voice against the tidal wave of misinformation on billion-dollar social media platforms.

Mikaela Shiffrin advocates against the spread of misinformation

In a recent story on Instagram, Shiffrin reposted a post from TIME, the media and news company, which captioned, “How Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Is Spreading Online” The caption of the post read, “Much of the graphic imagery and footage surfacing on social media depicts real and credible evidence of violence committed during the Israel-Hamas war. But experts say social media platforms have also been flooded with swaths of misinformation and disinformation, adding to the confusion about what is happening on the ground. It includes inaccurate claims and fabricated assertions, and the resurfacing of old and unrelated war footage or video game footage”.

The post continued stating that alarming statistics showed that at least 14 false claims related to the conflict garnered a shocking 22 million views on various platforms within three days of the Hamas attack.

They also shared that Misinformation is especially rampant on the “X” ( formerly Twitter), platform, where even accounts with blue-check verification, obtained through premium services, have propagated unsubstantiated claims.

According to the TIME website, in response, the platform has been actively removing accounts affiliated with Hamas, escalating posts for sharing graphic media and hate speech, and refining its policies to combat misinformation. Shiffrin’s decision to share this post was her way of bringing attention to the crisis and the role of misinformation within it. This is not the first time she has raised her voice for the heartbreaking crisis that has left the world in shock.

How she previously stood in solidarity with the victims

In a previous Instagram post expressing her solidarity, Shiffrin directed her thoughts to the affected nations. She began by saying, “Feeling the weight and destruction of hatred and violence, more and more with each passing moment. I will never understand what solutions anyone could think that they might find through murder.” Her heartfelt message continued, emphasizing her empathy for the victims, as she said she couldn’t imagine what they must be going through and that she hoped they would find courage and help for those around them.

The post continued, “You are so loved, and we want to remind you of that. At the same time, we mourn with you for your losses in the past days and over the course of history as well.” For Israel, this marks the deadliest war since the 1973 battle against Syria and Egypt. Over 600,000 Gazans have fled to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border city of al-Arish.

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Prominent figures worldwide have taken a stand, emphasizing the need for peace and solidarity with both nations. Mikaela Shiffrin has joined these voices, advocating for awareness about the spread of misinformation in the midst of this heart-wrenching conflict.

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