There’s a presidential election coming up this November, and disinformation campaigns are in full swing. AI has been used to clone the voice of President Joe Biden– recently heard in robocalls urging New Hampshire voters to stay home and not vote. Deepfake images are presenting manipulated fake videos. A sample deepfake of Republican AZ Senate nominee Kari Lake was posted to warn how realistic deepfakes can be. But there has already been a malicious deepfake spotted of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appearing drunk while talking with reporters at the US Capital. Bots on social media are created to spread false claims about election issues, amplified with likes and shares to reach millions of users.
But today’s disinformation is not new. You might be surprised to find that the 1934 CA campaign for governor was likely the first to use a “video” smear campaign– against socialist muckraker and author Upton Sinclair. At the time, Sinclair was famous for his popular novel “The Jungle” which exposed the meatpacking industry’s health violations. Sinclair had considerable support in his try for governor as a Democratic candidate, basing his platform on ending poverty in California. Terrified of his victory, business execs, publishers, and Hollywood moguls joined forces to stop him. Hollywood studio employees were docked a day’s pay to contribute to the opposing Republican Frank Merriam. Studio execs threatened to move headquarters to FL. The LA Times refused to cover Sinclair rallies.
But the final blow to Sinclair’s campaign was a series of fake newsreels created by Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg. “Reporters” spoke to “people on the street”- most of them actually scripted actors. Well-dressed people criticized Sinclair. The individuals with shabby clothes and heavy foreign accents touted Sinclair as the candidate of the people. Before television and internet, newsreels were the information source of the day- documentary short films of current affairs and information played in movie theaters. The faked newsreels were shown in theaters throughout CA- and Sinclair lost the race. It is thought that the smear campaign launched against him swayed the election. The legacy of these faked newsreels echoes in our disinformation campaigns of today.
So how can you detect disinformation in the new propaganda tools sprung up since 1934? Former CIA analyst Cindy L. Otis- author of a book “True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News”– offers clarifying tips. Another author- information scientist Donald A. Barclay- highlights common tactics of disinformation in his work “Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era.”
Here are some effective methods to help you uncover the truth:
Appraise your emotions and biases. Many times actual true videos are used online, but they are incorrectly placed in an emotionally-charged context. A good example of this was during the covid lockdown. A true video of a train transporting military equipment through downtown San Diego CA was posted. However the headline used with it implied that a nationwide military-enforced lockdown was taking place. This is not a new tactic- people have often used real videos of military transports to cause panic over claims that military invasions are underway. Research any stirring information for additional supporting data. Don’t let your emotion or bias drive you, or lead you to relay false content to others.
Be skeptical- ask obvious questions.
In 2020 a conspiracy theory exploded about expensive Wayfair productsactually being coded listings for missing children being sold in human trafficking schemes. Items like dressers or pillows were priced at $10,000-$20,000, using description names (supposedly of missing children) as part of human sex trafficking. Wayfair claimed a software glitch on the pricing errors, and removed some items – which only fanned further conspiracy accusations. Deeper questioning would have revealed that the instigators of this claim regularly make accusations of child sex trafficking. They have charged Amazon, Etsy, Walmart, various celebrities and politicians, etc. of child trafficking (even claiming these scandals can only be tracked using the Russian search engine Yandex). However, no victims have ever been found.
Recognize that repetition does not make a statement true.
An example of repetition taking on a new life is in slogans like “Stop the Steal” or “Drain the Swamp.” These slogans have the underlying ideas that an election was stolen, or civil service is totally corrupted. Endless repetition just reinforces the ideas as true- the more people hear something, the more likely they are to believe it. Despite repeated election result analysis to the contrary, current confidence in the US election process has been lowered.
Avoid the part/whole fallacy that sows division.
Disinformers look for the most controversial policy view of an opposing party, and falsely say that the whole party shares that view. “All Republicans prioritize tax cuts for the rich- they only care about the interests of the rich!” “Radical Democrats want to defund the police!” By claiming ALL believe or do something, an entire organization is tainted, despite political party members having myriad viewpoints.
Do your research. Ask questions. Analyze what information is being relayed to you. Don’t let the falsehoods, fears, and divisiveness of disinformation cloud your life, or impact your voting.
#disinformation #1934 smear campaign #election propaganda #fake news
