Mental Vaccines for the Epidemic of Disinformation
There is an epidemic of disinformation these days that is far more contagious than any strain of Covid.
Let’s start by understanding the difference between “Disinformation” and “Misinformation”. Think of “Misinformation” as a “mis”-take or “mis”-stating or unintentionally “mis”-leading someone. Think of “Disinformation” as “Dis is BS”.
It’s hard to tell real news from “fake news” anymore. So, where do you go to determine what is fact and what is fiction?
There are many things you can start looking out for in articles or information to help you discern what is indeed factual or not. The first thing to look out for is the use of subjective language.
Here’s a local example, the first sentence in this month’s newsletter from US Congressman Roger Williams:“
President Biden and House Democrats’ socialist policies and out of control government spending are not working for the American people.
Ok… what’s wrong here? (Where to begin… ) The first point here is to see that calling Biden’s and Democrats’ policies “socialist” is derogatory and completely subjective. Do we know for a fact that these policies are indeed socialist or are we being intentionally manipulated and provoked to feel anger by someone with an agenda?
Then he says “out of control spending”. Again, is this a fact? If so, explain how. Last, he says these policies are “not working for the American people”. Is this a blanket statement written to turn us against Biden and Democrats or do we know for a fact that every single policy doesn’t work for every single American.
So, how could this sentence have been written in a way that was not provocative? How about this:
President Biden and House Democrats’ have recently enacted policies that some could define as a form of socialism. An example could be… (fill in the blank) Many Americans are also concerned about government spending and how that could be affecting their lives and livelihoods…(and then give specific examples)”
You get the idea… The point is, look out for articles and newsletters with derogatory language that finger point and provoke emotion.
Biased newsletters like this do such a disservice to less politically savvy people. They trust their elected officials to represent the truth. The fact is, there should be state regulations enforcing elected officials to inform their constituents with verifiable facts instead of provoking them with baseless opinions as a means of manipulation and persuasion.
NEWS VS OPINION:
It might be surprising, but many Americans don’t know the difference between a news article and an editorial. A news article is supposed to report the facts without bias or emotion whereas an editorial is an opinion. So many people post articles on social media as facts, and either don’t know or don’t point out that it is the opinion of one person or organization. Keep an eye out for News vs Opinion pieces.
BIAS CHECKING:
A habit that I get into when someone forwards me an article is to check the bias of the source. Recently a friend sent me an article from The Daily Kos. As I read the article, while I agreed with a lot of it, I started to feel like the article was written specifically so I would agree.
So, I went to Google and I entered “Daily Kos Bias”. This is what I saw.
You’ll notice the 3rd link is of course to their website. The other URL’s link to, Politifact, AllSides and Media Bias Fact Check. These are all non-partisan sites created to help anyone determine fact from fiction as well as to help us understand the bias of a specific source. My personal favorite is MediaBiasFactCheck.org.
When I went there to check out The Daily Kos, I saw this:
So, I took a screen shot of this and texted it to my friend who sent me the article.
CONFIRMATION BIAS:
One thing we all need to watch out for is our tendency to look for “Confirmation Bias”. Basically, that’s looking for someone to agree with you regardless if you are wrong or right”.
Based on the screenshot from the Daily Kos, if you’re extremely liberal, you’re going to be happy reading there, but are you getting all sides? Do you want all sides? You really should.
I prefer and try to discipline myself to read non-biased sources. How do you find those? Well, there’s this:
This is called the Media Bias Chart, and is produced by Ad Fontes Media. I find it invaluable and it is free and updated frequently, always adding new sources.
Notice the Red Arrow? That’s where the Daily Kos falls…
Now, I am not dissing The Daily Kos, but just be aware that when we seek biased information, we’re usually not expanding our knowledge about a subject or seeing both sides of it.
You’ll notice that the BBC, Associated Press, major TV Networks Reuters and even USA Today fall pretty much in the middle.
It’s up to you what sources you choose but it’s good to know where they fall on the spectrum of bias.
There are MANY nonpartisan sources of balanced information that will help you debunk fact from fiction. Here are just a few to point you in the right direction:
Snopes: According to this website, “We are the internet’s go-to source for discerning what is true and what is total nonsense.” Go to
to do fact checks, read well researched articles and submit questions.
Wikipedia: “a free content, multilingual online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers through a model of open collaboration”. Go tohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page to look up information on virtually any topic.
Factcheck.org: The mission of this site is: We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding. Go to:
Media Matters: This nonprofit and progressive research center monitors and corrects conservative misinformation in the media. Go to: www.mediamatters.org
Truth or Fiction: This nonpartisan website where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, fake news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email. Go to:
https://www.truthorfiction.com/
Media Bias / Fact Check: an independent website that rates the bias, factual accuracy, and credibility of media sources. Go to:
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/
Be sure to know that while there are non-partisan, non-biased fact checking resources like above, there are biased ones as well. You might want to avoid these below if you’re looking for unbiased information:
CheckYourFact: Right-center bias
FactMyth.com: Left-center bias
Zebra Fact Check: Right-center bias
ExposingTruth.com: Left-center bias
Politifact: Left-center bias
WHAT THE RIGHT DOES RIGHT
The reason the right has such a strong hold on media and “alternative facts” is because they are active. You can call them a cult with is derogatory or you can think of them more as a tribe. We could actually learn from them because if you think about it, tribes make things happen. Women’s Suffrage created their own tribe and fought for the right to vote, and won. Civil Rights Supporters remain a tribe who accomplish huge goals. LGBTQ supporters created a tribe and achieved a huge win for Gay Marriage. But the left as a whole, doesn’t really have a cohesive tribe. We’re all over the place, where the right is all in one place.
The right has the most popular news channel, the most popular social media posts, and podcasts. They are one cohesive movement.
Fox News viewership is more than double that of MSNBC and CNN combined.
Of the top 20 most popular podcasts, 9 are far right propaganda hosted by Ben Shapiro, Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan etc.
The left has only 2 in the top 20, Rachel Maddow and Pod Save America.
These are just yesterday’s top Facebook posts:
Until recently, Glenn Beck’s The Great Reset: Joe Biden and the Rise of Twenty-First-Century Fascism was the #1 bestselling book. This book is a portrait of disinformation painting the left as fascists. Not far behind at #3 in non-fiction is Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s homage to the anti-vaxxers with The Real Anthony Fauci. I don’t know how they get classified as non-fiction at all.
You get the point. They have it together. We don’t.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
The answer is a lot. The first and most important thing is to Get Informed. Don’t let shame or intimidation about not understanding politics get in your way. The longer you put off being truly informed, the more the other side wins. Join organizations like the Hays County Democrats and start asking questions, that’s how I got informed. I learned from people who knew more than me.
3 years ago, I had lived in the same house for 20 years and didn’t know what districts I lived in or who my representatives were. I didn’t know what state senators or representatives really did or why the offices mattered. I usually voted but besides major elections, I honestly didn’t know who or what I was really voting for. Now that I understand, I regret not getting informed and involved sooner.
But when I saw this country sliding in a dark direction, I changed my life. I joined organizations like Common Cause and Indivisible. I started paying more attention to the news and podcasts. I put away my novels and started reading books like Democracy in One Book or Less by David Litt, After the Fall by Ben Rhodes. The System by Robert Reich etc. I substituted my series binging with documentaries and docuseries about topics I needed to learn more about. Was it more fun? No. But, it was necessary and the right thing to do.
The way we can combat disinformation is with factual information. But, learning the facts takes time and discipline. If you knew for a fact that by spending a little more time getting politically active and informed we could all save democracy, would you do it?
The truth is, if we don’t fight disinformation and create our own tribe for positive change and equal rights, we’re playing a role in the destruction. Doing nothing is exactly what the other side wants you to do.
So, stock up on your mental vaccines. Start stepping up and getting better informed and consider getting a little more involved in politics. If we worked together, we could all create Herd Immunity against this toxic epidemic of Disinformation and the destruction of democracy.