The scourge of our time: Disinformation
Disinformation, false narratives, media illiteracy and more - a toxic stew is eroding America from within. This newsletter zeroes in on a deadly serious problem - and seeks solutions.
You’re bombarded every day with Disinformation. You probably know what this is, but allow me to provide a definition.
The dictionary calls it “false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.”
The American Psychological Association says “Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally misstating the facts.”
This is nothing new. Former CIA officer Cindy Otis, in her terrific 2020 book “True or False,” points out that disinformation has been been with us from ancient Egypt to the French Revolution to today. But neither Egyptians nor the Jacobins of revolutionary France had social media or artificial intelligence — accelerants which today put the power to alter, or manufacture from scratch, fake documents, fake audio recordings, fake videos and more into the hands of everyone. Technology is agnostic; it can do good or ill, depending upon the intent of the user. The sophistication, power and reach of these accelerants is unprecedented, and as we see each day, there are those among us who opt to leverage these accelerants for the latter — for ill.
Most folks associate the word disinformation with politicians or a TV news channel they don’t like, and I’ll certainly be reporting on this as we march on. But such malfeasance is hardly restricted to these areas.
For example, companies lie and investors and the broader economy can suffer as a result. Enron, WorldCom and Tyco ring a bell? Their deceptions of a quarter-century ago brought both companies down and wiped out countless investors. A few years
later, the lies of companies like AIG, Countrywide and others were emblematic of a devastating real estate, stock market and economic meltdown that shook the nation.
Tobacco companies spent decades lying about the health risks of smoking. That’s disinformation. They obscured facts, attacked the credibility of opponents, and worked to erode faith in science. In a landmark legal case, it was determined that the companies had been engaged in a half-century long conspiracy to deceive the American public.
There’s no escape from disinformation. Online product reviews? Ratings? Numerous studies have debunked the accuracy and/or authenticity of many goods and services. One study, for example, examined 720 million Amazon reviews and determined that about 42% were fake or unreliable.
Disinformation can start a war.
Disinformation can mar our ability to organize and hold free and fair elections.
Disinformation can rear its ugly head around tragedy: a mass shooting, a weather disaster, a plane crash.
Disinformation can - and has - cost lives during a public health crisis.
Swatting - 911 calls reporting a fake emergency - is a form of disinformation which has resulted in people being killed.
Synthetic media (a.k.a. “deep fakes”) can generate stunningly realistic videos of people saying things they never said. No less frightening is the use of imagery of children to produce pornography. The resulting damage to individuals, usually girls, can take many forms, including bullying, humiliation, shame, even suicide. All because of disinformation.
All of the above is disinformation by "commission," meaning it is deliberate, usually with some objective in mind: To manipulate the public, often for political or financial gain.
But there is also disinformation by “omission,” when someone says something but leaves out - omits - a piece of critical information. This can skew perceptions and cause people to develop an incorrect impression about something. Here’s a good article on this in Psychology Today.
Finally, no discussion of disinformation would be complete without mentioning foreign actors like Russia, China and others - who use disinformation to divide Americans, turn us against one other, and help undermine our trust in government, democracy, science, and so much more. Moscow and Beijing have devoted small armies to these tasks; they are ruthless, tenacious and good at what they do. It is, frankly, war by other means.
A survey of global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ranks disinformation as one of the greatest threats the world will face over the next decade. And with good reason. Disinformation is everywhere. This newsletter - and other products you’ll soon be hearing about and watching - will cover it with neither fear nor favor. I’ll also delve into efforts to combat it, which will involve discussions of things like civics, media literacy, the alarming rise of “news deserts,” and take us to places like Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill, network television newsrooms and more.
I hope you’ll subscribe to this weekly publication - and join me in searching for solutions to this problem.
Paul Brandus / May 28, 2025
For the last 25 plus years have to say that climate denial by Big Oil and the Republican party is the worst misinformation of all time. Big Oil simply borrowed Big Tobacco’s play book. Climate scientists speak of tipping points. We are close to being there. I actually like the phrase point of no return better. Heat kills.