[TEXT: DEMOCRACY, PROSPERITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, EDUCATION, SECURITY A PRODUCTION OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE]
Disinformation is a fast moving space,
as bad actors adapt their tactics to the latest global trends
used during the latest geopolitical conflict or health crisis,
or during domestic political events like elections.
The language is exaggerated, aimed to create powerful emotional responses
like anger or fear.
[TEXT: UNDERSTANDING AND COUNTERING DISINFORMATION] Welcome to Understanding and Countering Disinformation.
[TEXT: COUNTERING DISINFORMATION] This lesson is Countering Disinformation.
[TEXT: Sarah J. Wachter] This lesson was written by Sara J. Wachter,
[TEXT: International Journalist and Communications Consultant] an international journalist and communications consultant with over
25 years of experience in foreign reporting and training journalists.
[TEXT: Experience in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas] Sara has conducted assignments in over two dozen countries in Africa
[TEXT: Experience in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas] and across the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.
She closely tracks global trends in disinformation and conducts
training for journalists, communications professionals and security experts
on how to recognize and combat disinformation.
[TEXT: Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University, New York] She holds a master of science in journalism from Columbia University
in New York City.
Disinformation is aimed at discrediting a political opponent,
an institution or vulnerable group, such as a certain ethnic
or religious group or a particular gender or sexual orientation,
to sow distrust or discourage people from speaking out or voting.
To avoid being censored,
disinformers use coded language such as referring to a group
by a slur or a nickname, ask controversial questions
they hope will elicit a highly emotional or violent response,
or claim the inflammatory information was meant
as a joke.
These bad actors attempt to influence or steer the online conversation,
sometimes over many months or many years.
They hope to influence a desired outcome or response from the targeted group,
such as how they vote in an election or the position
they take on a particular cause.
They launch coordinated
campaigns - distributing the same messages, photos
and videos across multiple traditional and social media platforms
and many hundreds of accounts, to “flood the zone.”
The point is to convince people something is true
because the same information is seen everywhere.
And they use phony automated profile accounts called bots
that can engage with an endless number of users
on social media.
The most often-used medium for disinformation
is videos that are doctored with artificial intelligence.
Using this technology, disinformers can alter a video
to make it look like someone,
often a famous or influential leader, is saying something that they are not.
These videos are known as “deep fakes.”
Coordinated disinformation campaigns
rely on a numbers game of placing the same message in many places.
This is different from when a single video, or other piece of content,
“goes viral” because people share it quickly and widely online.
Disinformers will attempt to simulate this type of viral activity
through coordinated campaigns and through clever online tricks,
such as using words, images and topics
that are trending on the Internet.
[TEXT: “said a witness at the demonstration”] Another telltale sign of disinformation is that sources are either
not given, or are so vague that they cannot be verified
and no links to referenced information are provided
to back up the claims made.
There are several steps we all can take to stop the spread
of disinformation and ensure that we are being responsible
when consuming and sharing news and information.
[TEXT: Be skeptical of what you read and watch.] Be skeptical of what you read and watch.
To verify a video or photo,
put it into Google's reverse images search to trace its true origins.
If the individuals in a video have flat looking eyes and odd lip movements
and if it is of poor quality, it is probably a deep fake.
Be skeptical of what you read and watch.
[TEXT: Double-check a story with credible news outlets.] For a news event described,
double check with credible news outlets to see if it has been reported;
if not, treat it with suspicion.
For video photos and articles involving major officials or leaders,
visit their official websites
and social media feeds to see if the news is reported there.
Be sure to confirm that you are on an official site, as
these are often imitated in a way meant to deceive consumers.
[TEXT: Visit local, regional and international fact-checking sites.] Visit local, regional and international fact checking websites
to find any debunked rumors.
Watch out for false “fact checkers” - that is another trick
disinformers use.
[TEXT: Do not repeat disinformation.] Do not forward messages containing disinformation to others.
Refrain from mentioning the rumor or disinformation in your social media feeds
and don't leave comments online criticizing the disinformation.
This increases engagement with the disinformation
and makes it more likely others will see it.
Read up on disinformation trends regularly - there are several
free online resources available.
[TEXT: Look for coordinated activity.] Look for coordinated activity.
To sleuth out coordinated activity as you research
a major event or trend across all the social media platforms,
see if the same messages, photos and videos
appear across many accounts.
[TEXT: Check for bots.] To check for bots, examine a profile page.
Check to see if there is little personal information.
if the video is original and not copied from another user or site,
and if the page mostly reposts or retweets on a single topic
and has little author generated content.
[TEXT: Get out ahead of disinformation.] Just before or at the start of a major event in your country - an election,
the outbreak of a conflic, the onset of a major weather event
such as a flood, or a major crisis such as famine - you can help steer
the conversation in the right direction by “pre-bunking.”
Post an article in your social media feeds early on,
detailing the disinformation trend and, citing authoritative resources
such as a fact checking outlet or an electoral commission, mentioning
at least two credible sources and providing links to their analysis.
Then give the correct information, again by citing at least two credible sources
and providing links to their analysis, and be sure to detail
the disinformation tactics being used.
The creation and sharing of
disinformation is a deliberate act to manipulate and cause harm.
The bad actors who create and spread it intend to cause conflict,
fear and doubt, usually in an effort to gain power or some advantage.
We must all be aware.
Be vigilant.
And be engaged and responsible consumers and sharers
of news and information.
[TEXT: For more on this course and to access related resources,] For more on this course and to access related resources,
[TEXT: visit our website.] visit our website.
[TEXT: DEMOCRACY, PROSPERITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, EDUCATION, SECURITY A PRODUCTION OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE]