Truth Decay Part 2: News in a Digital Age
Reading Time: 14 minutes A conversation with the author of RAND’s new follow-up report on the diminishing role of facts and data in the news.
How Trolls Control an Internet Forum
Reading Time: 8 minutes The dirty tricks of trolls have been polluting the internet for years, but young people may not be aware of these techniques. Study them, and you can build immunity to this form of deception and intimidation.
Glenn Beck Ordered to Reveal Who Fed Him Boston Bombing Disinfo
Reading Time: 6 minutes Glenn Beck has been ordered to reveal the names of the government officials who told him that a Saudi national was involved in the Boston Marathon bombing, a false story. Was Beck a useful dupe in somebody’s disinformation campaign?
Disinformation Part 3: COINTELPRO Up Close and Personal
Reading Time: 7 minutes Part 3 of our three-part series on the techniques of trolls. The first two parts were concerned mostly with sabotage and disinformation on the Internet, but Part 3 goes back in time to the days when activists unwittingly came face-to-face with government infiltrators.
Disinformation Part 2: Detailed Tips for Trolls
Reading Time: 6 minutes This is the second of a three-part series on the insidious techniques of trolls, spooks, feds, saboteurs, provocateurs, and disinformants. As you read about these dirty tricks, you may have a sense of deja-vu.
Disinformation Part 1: How Trolls Control an Internet Forum
Reading Time: 8 minutes This is the first of a three-part series on the techniques of trolls, spooks, feds, saboteurs, provocateurs, and disinformants. As you read about these dirty tricks, you may have a sense of deja-vu.
Ukraine’s Disinformation Battle: Little Green Men, Hamsters and the Fog of War
Reading Time: 4 minutes Disinformation is thick over Ukraine now, providing a 21st Century version of the Cold War propaganda battle between Russia and the U.S. Here, we take a look at a cycle of obfuscation we’ve seen plenty of times before, and the risks it brings to the heart of Europe.
Why You Need WhoWhatWhy to Grow
Reading Time: 2 minutes Here’s a shocker: the “experts”….have no idea what they’re talking about. Why we desperately need not just a news media, but a new media.
Sugarcoating the Lies: A New York Times Sampler
Reading Time: 7 minutes Scrutinize one day’s helping of headlines and story summaries, read between the lines, and you begin to see why our problems never get solved.
‘Syria’s Torture Machine’: British Documentary Offers Cause For Concern In More Ways Than One
Reading Time: 3 minutes British documentary offers cause for concern in more ways than one.
Targeting You With Phony News
Reading Time: 2 minutes A California public water utility is sneaking out phony news designed to make it look good. If one publicly-funded entity tried this, can it be the only one? Don’t bet on it.
Libya Rape Charge: View With Caution
Reading Time: 3 minutes We easily forget how extensive are the psychological operations that sell the public on war. When considering the Libyan rape charges, a bit of perspective and context is wise….