Question

these governments have also become adept at using those same social media channels to spread misinformation. “you can now create a narrative saying a democracy activist was a traitor...,” says anne applebaum, an author who directs a program on radical political and economic change at the legatum institute in london. “the possibility of creating an alternative narrative is one people didn’t consider, and it turns out people in authoritarian regimes are quite good at it.”
—“social media made the arab spring, but couldn’t save it,”
jessi hempel
what is hempel’s claim in this excerpt?
what evidence does hempel provide?
what type of evidence does hempel use?
testimony from an expert
statistics that can be verified
a personal story that evokes emotion

Explanation:

Sub - question 1: What is Hempel’s claim in this excerpt?

The excerpt shows that governments have become adept at using social media channels to spread misinformation, as exemplified by creating a narrative about a democracy activist being a traitor. Also, it mentions the alternative narrative creation related to authoritarian regimes' capabilities. So Hempel's claim is about governments' skill in using social media for misinformation and narrative - shaping, and the alternative narrative possibility regarding authoritarian regimes' people.

Hempel provides a testimony from Anne Applebaum (an author and expert in radical political and economic change at the Legatum Institute in London) who states that a democracy activist was labeled a traitor and also mentions the possibility of an alternative narrative about people in authoritarian regimes. So the evidence is a testimony from an expert (Anne Applebaum).

Among the given options, the evidence Hempel uses is a testimony from an expert (Anne Applebaum is an expert in the field of radical political and economic change, and she provides a statement as evidence). So the type of evidence is "testimony from an expert".

Answer:

Governments have become adept at using social media channels to spread misinformation (e.g., creating a narrative about a democracy activist being a traitor), and there is the possibility of creating an alternative narrative about people in authoritarian regimes.

Sub - question 2: What evidence does Hempel provide?