{"id":311649,"date":"2026-03-12T16:11:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=ai-images-blur-reality-of-iran-war"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:13:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:13:23","slug":"ai-images-blur-reality-of-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/ai-images-blur-reality-of-iran-war\/","title":{"rendered":"AI images blur reality of Iran war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Fake AI images and videos\u00a0blur\u00a0the reality of Iran war<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Federal judge rules Kari Lake violated law in actions toward Voice of America<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> New production company offers support to creator journalists<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> The link between freedom of speech and satisfaction with\u00a0how\u00a0democracy\u00a0is working in many countries\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0<strong>Iran war<\/strong>\u00a0is taking place amid rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which has led to <strong>AI-generated fake images and videos<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/03\/11\/politics\/fake-ai-images-videos-iran-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spreading on social media<\/a>. This has added another challenge for news consumers as they try to understand what is happening in Iran, Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>As we mentioned in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-2026-03-05\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">last week<em>\u2019<\/em>s Briefing<\/a>,\u00a0relatively few\u00a0Americans have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/science\/2025\/09\/17\/how-americans-view-ai-and-its-impact-on-people-and-society\/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&amp;utm_campaign=85c2f3d8c3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_03_05_09_42&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-85c2f3d8c3-399907525#detecting-content-created-by-ai-versus-humans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high degree of confidence<\/a>\u00a0that they can tell if pictures,\u00a0videos\u00a0and text were made by AI. And a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/04\/28\/americans-largely-foresee-ai-having-negative-effects-on-news-journalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 survey<\/a>\u00a0found that\u00a066% of Americans\u00a0were\u00a0<strong>extremely or\u00a0very concerned\u00a0about people getting inaccurate information from AI.<\/strong>\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>More broadly,\u00a0a majority of\u00a0U.S. adults (60%) said in 2025 that technology companies should\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/04\/14\/support-dips-for-us-government-tech-companies-restricting-false-or-violent-online-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">take steps to restrict false information<\/a>\u00a0online, even if it limits freedom of information.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Federal judge rules\u00a0<strong>Kari Lake<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/03\/08\/nx-s1-5741594\/u-s-judge-kari-lake-broke-law-voice-of-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acted unlawfully<\/a>\u00a0in overseeing\u00a0<strong>Voice of America,<\/strong>\u00a0nullifies mass layoffs\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Nashville reporter\u00a0<\/strong>who covered<strong>\u00a0ICE\u00a0<\/strong>actions\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/analysis\/estefany-rodriguez-ice-immigration-detention-limbo-nashville-warrant-status.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detained by ICE<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Pentagon<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/03\/11\/hegseth-press-briefings-photos-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bars photographers from press briefings<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0<strong>Iran war<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Pentagon officials view\u00a0<strong>Washington Post appeal for news tips about the military<\/strong>\u00a0as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/12\/business\/media\/a-call-for-reporting-tips-rankles-pentagon-officials.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201csolicitation\u201d under new media policy<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Federal judge rules that\u00a0<strong>Washington state lawmakers<\/strong>\u00a0were\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/press-pass-podcasters-conservative-media-a8f5b5ceac3627dc1931b07a87952551\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">within their rights to withhold press passes<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<strong>three conservative media figures<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>YouTube<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/03\/10\/youtube-expands-ai-deepfake-detection-to-politicians-government-officials-and-journalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expands technology that identifies AI deepfakes<\/a>\u00a0to pilot group of\u00a0<strong>government officials, political candidates and journalists<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>U.S. Navy\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/navy-court-records-ruling-first-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violated First Amendment<\/a>\u00a0and must provide public access to records of criminal trials, judge rules\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>USA Today\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/10\/business\/media\/usa-today-jamie-stockwell-top-editor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">names new top editor<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many news influencers and creator journalists tend to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/11\/18\/how-news-influencers-who-have-worked-for-news-organizations-differ-from-those-who-havent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">operate independently<\/a>. But a new production company known as\u00a0<strong>Newpress\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2026\/03\/with-newpress-iz-and-johnny-harris-incubate-video-journalism-for-the-creator-era\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently launched<\/a>\u00a0with the goal of\u00a0<strong>connecting creators and supporting their journalism.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">News influencers have become a popular alternative to traditional journalists for many Americans.\u00a0<strong>About one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers<\/strong>\u00a0on social media,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/news-influencers-fact-sheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to a 2025 Center survey<\/a>, including 38% of those ages 18 to 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/what-makes-someone-a-journalist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a separate study<\/a>, we asked Americans what it means to be a journalist. About a quarter (26%) say\u00a0they consider\u00a0people who make their own videos or posts about news on social media\u00a0to be journalists, while\u00a0<strong>half of Americans don\u2019t\u00a0consider these\u00a0creators\u00a0to be journalists.<\/strong>\u00a0Nearly a\u00a0quarter (23%) say they\u00a0aren<em>\u2019<\/em>t\u00a0sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2025\/04\/24\/how-people-rate-press-speech-and-internet-freedoms-in-their-country\/pg_2025-04-24_free-speech_3_04\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2025\/04\/24\/how-people-rate-press-speech-and-internet-freedoms-in-their-country\/pg_2025-04-24_free-speech_3_04\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This week<em>\u2019<\/em>s chart<\/a> looks at the link between people<em>\u2019<\/em>s\u00a0<strong>satisfaction with democracy<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>feelings about free speech\u00a0<\/strong>in many countries around the world.\u00a0Those who say speech is completely free in their country\u00a0tend to be much more likely than others to say they are very or\u00a0somewhat satisfied\u00a0with the way democracy is working in their country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f1f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f1f0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"523\" height=\"931\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-143211.png?resize=480,854 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-143211.png?resize=523,931 523w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-143211.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-293660 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Mia Hennen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">info@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story The\u00a0Iran war\u00a0is taking place amid rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which has led to AI-generated fake images and videos spreading on social media. This has added another challenge for news consumers as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"AI images blur reality of Iran war","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, a new production company offers support to creator journalists","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311649","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":578,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/ai-images-blur-reality-of-iran-war\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"AI images blur reality of Iran war","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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