John Mark Dougan: 2024 Disinformer of the Year
The year 2024 witnessed a deluge of misinformation campaigns targeting elections across the globe. From fabricated stories about Haitian dietary habits to AI-generated imagery of Hurricane Milton ravaging Disney World, falsehoods proliferated online. Amid this chaotic landscape, one individual emerged as a particularly prolific purveyor of disinformation: John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy and U.S. fugitive residing in Moscow. NewsGuard, a company dedicated to assessing the credibility of news websites, has designated Dougan as its 2024 Disinformer of the Year.
Dougan’s disinformation operation involved crafting elaborate narratives disguised as local news reports and whistleblower testimonies, amassing a staggering 67 million views and even infiltrating congressional discussions. His work is believed to be part of a broader Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516, linked to the now-defunct Internet Research Agency, a notorious troll farm. NewsGuard has connected Dougan to at least 32 disinformation narratives and a network of 171 fake local news websites, spreading false information across 16 languages and generating at least 8,000 social media citations.
Despite his denials of any Kremlin ties, Dougan’s actions tell a different story. He boasted about his influence on U.S. policy during a Russian state TV appearance, claiming credit for Congress’s decision to defund aid to Ukraine. Investigations by The Washington Post revealed Dougan’s financial and operational connections to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, further solidifying his role in Russia’s disinformation apparatus. This connection was further corroborated by a U.S. Treasury Department sanction against Dougan’s alleged handler, Valery Korovin, and his organization, the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, for attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. elections. While Dougan was not directly sanctioned, the Treasury’s statement described tactics consistent with his methods, including a network of websites mimicking legitimate news outlets and baseless accusations against a vice-presidential candidate.
Dougan’s disinformation tactics exemplify Russia’s evolving propaganda strategy. By utilizing non-Russian actors, the Kremlin aims to obscure its involvement and enhance the credibility of its narratives. Dougan’s background as an American ex-law enforcement officer and self-proclaimed whistleblower afforded him a veneer of trustworthiness that state-run media often lacks. This allowed his narratives, including one falsely alleging Zelensky’s misuse of U.S. aid to purchase luxury yachts, to gain traction among high-profile U.S. officials like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and then-Senator J.D. Vance.
Dougan’s influence extends beyond simply creating disinformation; he has also pioneered and refined dissemination tactics. His self-portrayal as a citizen journalist documenting the Russia-Ukraine war on YouTube normalized the use of dubious whistleblowers in disinformation campaigns. He also laid the groundwork for "pink slime journalism," a tactic of disguising political propaganda as local news, through his early creation of fake Florida news sites targeting local sheriffs even before fleeing to Russia in 2016. This combination of disinformation creation and sophisticated dissemination methods has made Dougan a highly effective tool in the Kremlin’s information warfare arsenal.
Although the 2024 U.S. elections have concluded and Dougan’s network of fake U.S. news websites has been dismantled, his work continues. His focus has shifted to Germany’s upcoming February 2025 snap elections, where he has already deployed similar tactics. An AI-generated video featuring a fabricated sexual abuse allegation against Green Party chancellor candidate Robert Habeck has surfaced, along with a fake news article claiming Germany plans to import 1.9 million Kenyan workers. These instances illustrate Dougan’s continued reliance on fabricated local news, staged testimonies, and AI-generated content, demonstrating the adaptability and persistence of his disinformation playbook. This ongoing activity serves as a warning to all democracies about the evolving nature of information warfare and the need for vigilance against such manipulative tactics. Dougan’s work highlights the increasing sophistication and reach of disinformation campaigns, demonstrating how fabricated narratives can infiltrate mainstream political discourse and influence policy decisions. His shift to targeting German elections underscores the global nature of this threat and the need for international cooperation to combat the spread of disinformation.
