Is ISIL winning the information war?
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues to control a significant part of northwestern Iraq, including the country's second largest city, Mosul. They dominate much of the eastern half of Syria and are engaged in ongoing battles in both countries. They are behind the recent attacks in Kuwait, Tunisia, andEgypt.
However, ISIL's reach extends beyond the territories they control or the places they strike. Through a sophisticated social media network, this armed group is spreading fear by publicising its gruesome crimes, disseminating information about its achievements around the world, raising funds, and reportedly recruiting close to 1,000 new members a month.
With high-quality videos posted to YouTube, smartphone apps, online chatrooms, and Twitter/Facebook accounts sending messages in multiple languages, ISIL has become very good at using new tools in waging their information war.
At least 46,000 Twitter accounts were actively promoting the work and ideology of ISIL between September and December 2014, according to a new study from the Brookings Institution.
The US State Department has repeatedly said that "countermessaging" is essential to defeating ISIL. But President Obama's administration has acknowledged the armed group is far better at spreading its message than the United States is at countering it.
So why is it so hard to defeat ISIL in the information war? We discuss at 19:30 GMT.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Frontline
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
.
Mama June: From Not to Hot
Mama June: From Not to Hot is all about Mama June's dramatic transformation. "I'm a mama, a grandmama, and a BIG reality star — and now I'm ready for a BIG change," Mama June narrates as we see her strike various poses. But she's not just talking about physical changes, she's revamping her entire life! "It's time to say goodbye to bad men and junk food," Mama June says before adding that fans (and haters) can all "[say] hello to a whole new me, because when they see what I look like now, they're not going to believe their eyes!" At this point we see a string of text that I assume are all things that went into Mama June's dramatic makeover. Included in the list are weight loss surgery, physical therapy, liquid diet, tummy tuck, gastric sleeve, strength training, breast implants, high intensity training, and laser teeth whitening.
Revival
Revival is set on one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin when the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the "revived" appear and act just like they once were. When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she's left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.
The War Between the Land and the Sea
When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.