The report behind the claims of ”Russian disinformation” on wind power is now being heavily criticized by researchers. Political scientist Victor Galaz accuses both the media and the wind power industry of lumping together common opposition to wind power with disinformation - without proper scrutiny.
The much-publicized report from the wind power industry received widespread coverage in the Swedish media after Swedish Radio reported that Sweden was the worst in Europe at spreading ”false messages” about wind power. The report linked thousands of Swedish posts to pro-Russian groups and Russian influence. Critics say that the media quickly adopted the report's conclusions without scrutinizing the methodology, the sample or the fact that the report was produced by actors with an interest in continued wind power development.
Victor Galaz, Associate Professor of Political Science at Stockholm Resilience Center and the Beijer Institute, are now sharply criticizing both the WindEurope report and how the Swedish media handled it. In a commentary in Svenska Dagbladet he writes that the news was inflated despite the fact that, according to him, the basis was deeply flawed.
”The selection of posts was biased from start to finish, and every critical post about wind power was lumped together and labeled ’disinformation’”, writes Galaz.
Criticizing the media's actions
Galaz believes that the Swedish media uncritically adopted the report's conclusions without examining methodology, sampling or industry links.
”That this news so quickly took hold of parts of the Swedish media is worrying”, he writes.
He also describes the report as a ”sham” and warns that people protesting against wind power are being portrayed as gullible or controlled by propaganda.
”The ”others' are singled out
According to Galaz, the reporting reveals a view of humanity in which ordinary people who oppose wind power are seen as less rational or morally inferior.
”People in general are not passive big eaters of AI slop and algorithm-optimized propaganda”, he writes.
The criticism is notable because it now comes from a climate and sustainability scientist, not from traditional wind power critics.
The debate is thus no longer just about wind power, but also about how quickly industry reports can be turned into big media news without rigorous scrutiny.
