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| Oumou Ly 19-December-2020 |
While their disinformation campaign didn’t overturn the results, it has sown distrust among voters. A recent poll found that only one in five Trump supporters believe the election is settled and Biden is the legitimate winner.
When elected officials use disinformation as a political weapon, our society’s information intermediaries – primarily news media outlets and social media platforms – are one of the first lines of defense. Here’s what my colleagues and I who study disinformation at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society have learned about how they can respond effectively.
Disinformation as political strategy
Our research at the Berkman Klein Center finds that disinformation is increasingly being used by political leaders as a calculated strategy to shape public narratives and manipulate voters. A recent study by my colleagues, led by Yochai Benkler, found that the myth of mail-in voting fraud was disseminated from the top down, starting with President Trump and GOP leaders and trickling through established media outlets.
When elected officials use disinformation as a political weapon, our society’s information intermediaries – primarily news media outlets and social media platforms – are one of the first lines of defense. Here’s what my colleagues and I who study disinformation at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society have learned about how they can respond effectively.
Disinformation as political strategy
Our research at the Berkman Klein Center finds that disinformation is increasingly being used by political leaders as a calculated strategy to shape public narratives and manipulate voters. A recent study by my colleagues, led by Yochai Benkler, found that the myth of mail-in voting fraud was disseminated from the top down, starting with President Trump and GOP leaders and trickling through established media outlets.
Continue reading @ The Hill.
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