FROM MISINFORMATION TO DISINFORMATION TO PROPAGANDA

Putin is the master of misinformation and disinformation – skills he learned at the KGB where he worked for 15 years in East Germany. Four years after the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has intensified its disinformation campaigns. These strategies have become more sophisticated, incorporating increased use of generative AI, greater focus on Ukraine’s allies, and enhanced exploitation of legitimate news stories. NewsGuard, designed by Yevgeny Schevchenko – a Russian, is a master at twisting information so it favors Putin and Russia. Most Americans are aware of Russia’s ability to control information and media, but do not grasp how it operates in the United States.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published an article called “Dead Journalists in Putin’s Russia.” In this article it says, “The truth is that in Putin’s Russia, like Yeltsin’s Russia, being an investigative journalist is a very dangerous profession. And today, as in the 1990s, Russia’s ramshackle legal system provides virtually no incentive for investigators to solve the crimes. They would only discover the same dangerous information that the journalists did, and you can bet they are not counting on the Russian legal system to protect them in that event.” And Wikipedia wrote, “The dangers to journalists in Russia have been known since the early 1990s but concern over the number of unsolved killings soared after Anna Politkovskaya’s murder in Moscow on 7 October 2006. While international monitors mentioned a dozen deaths, some sources within Russia talked of over two hundred fatalities.^”

Disinformation refers to deliberately false information disseminated with the intent of misleading recipients. Misinformation refers to false information shared unintentionally, yet it can have effects similar to deliberate deception. Disinformation has existed for a long time, but its impact has increased as social media platforms allowing information to spread rapidly and widely. Nowadays, with countless sources like cable or satellite channels, websites, and online platforms, false information is easier to access and share than it was in previous decades. (Wikipedia)

For example, social media in the U.S. is now overwhelmed with crowdsourced allegations of voter fraud and the spread of fake videos. Anyone can easily be caught in these traps, and often their appeal is more compelling than other news sources.

The Center for Citizen Initiatives, once a large nonprofit operating in six cities throughout Russia sends out a monthly newsletter. I was their “Acting President” for several years living and working in St. Petersburg. This month’s letter is about manipulated information.

Dear CCI Friends: The miasma of toxic language continues to pollute our atmosphere. How do we make sense of the world around us if the language used to describe it is deliberately twisted and manipulated to move us in a particular direction – a direction not necessarily aligned with truth? ‘Democracy depends on informed citizens. When information itself becomes strategically manipulated, that foundation weakens.’

Disinformation threatens national security and undermines sound decision making. When individuals rely on false or unreliable information, their actions may not serve their own interests or those of the institutions they represent, including government agencies responsible for setting national security policies.

The politicization of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased vaccine hesitancy. The BBC printed an article on 24 April 2020 titled “Outcry after Trump suggests injecting disinfectant as treatment for COVID-19.” Vaccinations continue to be the best way to prevent measles, but with R. Kennedy as the Health and Human Services Secretary under Donald Trump, he has published and advertised several unsupported or misleading claims about measles and vaccines. Due to this, the CDC confirmed 2,285 measles cases and it is rapidly spreading.

While both malicious users with fake accounts can spread disinformation, it’s especially concerning that ordinary people often help circulate it. By targeting regular audiences, disinformation campaigns enlist them to amplify the message, effectively expanding the reach of harmful content. Notably, disinformation frequently spreads rapidly and penetrates more deeply than factual information.

Developing critical thinking abilities and media literacy is essential in reducing vulnerability to disinformation. Introducing these concepts early, such as in middle school, helps build lasting societal resistance to misleading information. Critical thinking skills have been taught in schools in Russia for decades and are instilled in children at a young age. This justifies the fact that Russians exceed at playing chess – a game that utilizes critical thinking skills.

Despite high demand, many U.S. employers rate employee critical thinking skills as only average or below average. (Reboot Foundation, “The State of Critical Thinking in 2020.”) Such skills are not taught in American schools, and American children are not taught to have the ability to analyze information objectively. This thought led me to believe that Mr. Trump was instructed by Mr. Putin to close the U.S. Department of Education – a scary concept.