Caroline Houck

@carolinehouck

Editing at on the weekend, covering politics and unrest in the Americas during the week. Bylines: , ,

Washington, DC
vox.com
Joined March 2013
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  1. Retweeted
    Dec 26

    Just in from Ruben Garcia at : ICE is releasing 518 more migrants in El Paso today, bringing the 4-day total to more than 1,300. CBP also expected to begin more quickly releasing children in the wake of 2nd death. This will strain El Paso resources. 1/

    32 replies 752 retweets 857 likes
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  2. Dec 26

    Catching back up on the news cycle after a weeklong vacation like

    1 reply 12 retweets 74 likes
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  3. Retweeted
    Dec 20

    Please hug a national security reporter this week.

    18 replies 75 retweets 631 likes
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  4. Retweeted
    Dec 18

    In Syria, Russia's disinformation campaign has real life consequences. White Helmets rescue workers have been tortured and interrogated based on fabricated claims from Russian state bodies and media outlets.

    73 replies 387 retweets 317 likes
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  5. Retweeted
    Dec 17

    It was a bloody, violent road, but we got there: the National Zoo's naked mole-rats have a queen.

    8 replies 59 retweets 163 likes
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  6. Dec 17

    (short) thread

    FORTY-FIVE. That 45 U.S. airstrikes in Somalia this year. That’s a war, folks. America is at war in Somalia. Has the president said the word “Somalia” since he took office?
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  7. Retweeted
    Dec 16

    “This is a deliberate decision by Ortega to stay in power through brutal repression,” says ⁦⁩

    8 replies 67 retweets 93 likes
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  8. Retweeted
    Dec 15

    Everything about US presence in Syria is opaque and nearly impossible to report on. While the presence is SOF-led, for instance, we really have no idea whether it is majority-SOF or what all the roles conventional troops play in the task force(s) are.

    4 retweets 4 likes
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  9. Dec 15

    Here's on what the Weekly Standard meant to conservatism:

    The pathetic and dishonest Weekly Standard, run by failed prognosticator Bill Kristol (who, like many others, never had a clue), is flat broke and out of business. Too bad. May it rest in peace!
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  10. Dec 12

    Intrigued? I was. Read more in 's second issue! Print only, so buy it here! 13/13

    1 retweet 1 like
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  11. Dec 12

    Oh, and those neighbors? They’re not just watching Nicaragua right back — they're getting involved, too. Many of the suspicious Twitter accounts ADS looked at? They’re Venezuelan. 12/

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  12. Dec 12

    So while the opposition might have led the way with using social media for political ends, their dominance won’t last. All Nicaragua has to do is look to its neighbors, Venezuela & Ecuador, to “learn more subtle ways of shaping and shifting discourse,” told us. 11/

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  13. Dec 12

    I won’t get into where Ortega and Murillo’s administration falls on what 's Camille Francois calls the “ladder scale of state responsibilities,” but suffice it to say: state-sponsored trolling has had a chilling effect on dialogue. 10/

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  14. Dec 12

    Not to mention the more insidious activity you’ll find with even just a quick search: Doxxing and harassment of journalists, activists, and even tangentially affiliated individuals. (Both sides doxx, but what state-backed groups can do vs protesters? It's "night and day.") 9/

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  15. Dec 12

    But even if the protesters are better at disseminating their message, the govt’s tactics are effective, too. That coordination b/t real people & bot armies is how states make it hard to distinguish b/t real grassroots movements & ones of “astroturf,” ’s Sam Woolley warns. 8/

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  16. Dec 12

    By contrast, the discourse is more decentralized, variable, interactive — in short, a community. (They also frequently tag international orgs like to raise attention.) 7/

    1 reply 2 retweets 3 likes
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  17. Dec 12

    is a super insular, top-down “echo chamber.” Whenever one of President Daniel Ortega’s sons tweets, for example, “some 20 accounts tweet the same thing instantly, because they’re bots,” ADS told us. 6/

    1 reply 1 retweet 1 like
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  18. Dec 12

    Find their report here:

    1 reply 2 retweets 1 like
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  19. Dec 12

    We spoke to , which analyzed the behavior of each community on Twitter. There are a few similarities (eg, “suspicious accounts” on both sides), but overall, ADS found radically different networks. 5/

    1 reply 1 retweet 1 like
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  20. Dec 12

    But very quickly, social media became a battleground for both sides — dueling hashtags and all. for protesters, for government supporters. 4/

    1 reply 1 retweet 1 like
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