The United States is in an information war, and each of us must hold the line. Misinformation, or unintentionally false information, bubbles up into our timelines. Disinformation, or intentionally false or misleading information with the intent to harm, pushes its thorny tendrils through all forms of media, strangling the work of true journalists. When government websites are scrubbed of research, when artificial intelligence can fabricate photorealistic images and believable audio and video clips, when reputable journalists are barred from press briefings, and when respected publications bow to billionaires, even the most well-informed among us can be left confused or misinformed. How can Americans possibly keep pace with the current media maelstrom?
We, the people, are pelted daily with bad information. As an educator, I teach my students to critically analyze media and evaluate information. I expose them to the tactics and tools that are used to manipulate us. Every bit of available information about our lives is gathered and sold, and a significant percentage of social media posts are created by bots. Politicians lie to us boldly and without consequence; we just saw US foreign policy flip upside down as the president insisted in spite of all evidence that it was Ukraine that was at fault for the war, not Russia. Social media influencers capitalize on our outrage and our fear. Even once-trusted journalistic institutions have been restricted in their coverage; democracy does indeed die in darkness, as the Washington Post and other legacy media publications are forced to censor themselves by their billionaire owners. Foreign nations and the ultra wealthy fund and support this bad information assault. This is all strategic.
Those in power “flood the zone” with so much noise—constant executive orders, fake news, AI generated video, social media posts full of disinformation—that the public and press cannot keep up. This provides cover and distraction for actions that, unchallenged, will impact generations to come. This administration has taken aggressive steps to eliminate vast amounts of research data, fire researchers and experts for verifiably false reasons, and rewrite history. They publicize major cuts to government spending, and claim to have found massive corruption; there is as yet no reliable evidence of this.
Whether their claims are factual appears to be irrelevant to this administration; after all, successful media manipulation relies on the public’s inability—or unwillingness—to distinguish fact from fiction. The information literacy skills the public needs must be explicitly taught. Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt said in 1938, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Threatening to remove school funding, demonizing educators, and attacking curriculum all serve a larger purpose: to create a less educated public that is easier to manipulate. The fewer people who have the skills and the motivation to question, investigate, and verify, the easier it is to control the narrative.
What you can do:
We do not have to accept this manipulation. Here are four concrete actions you can take to protect yourself and your country from bad information.
- Learn the tactics that are being used against us, so that you can spot them and defend against them.
- Seek out reliable and minimally biased sources of information. Here’s one place to start.
- Call your elected officials and urge them to take action against media manipulation and bad information. Insist on transparency in government and public access to information. Demand that they stop media and technology companies from infringing on our rights and freedoms.
- Engage in your right to peacefully assemble to make your collective voice heard. Unite with others and resist the political polarization that is impressed upon us.
We must hold the line against bad information, person by person, every single day. We must be brave, vigilant, and relentless in defending truth if we wish to live in a world where truth matters.