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Misinformation and disinformation are a concern as the election year ramps up.
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Germany recently uncovered a Russian disinformation campaign.
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US officials are gearing up to fight back against misinformation.
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Americans must also remain vigilant.
(NewsReady.com) – Another election year is upon us. The American people are gearing up for November and trying to decide who they are going to vote for to represent them as president and other local, state, and federal positions.
With an election year comes the threat of misinformation. This is a battle that affects officials on both sides of the aisle, and private companies are trying to do what they can to fight fake news.
Fake News
According to reports, the 2024 US elections are going to have the same issues as the others in recent years: foreign influence campaigns filled with fake news. This time around, experts are also concerned about special interest groups, fake experts, and American extremists trying to influence the elections.
Peter Adams, the News Literacy Project’s senior vice president of research and design, spoke to UPI about the problem. He said he and other researchers who target disinformation are currently bracing themselves for the assault in the coming months. He explained that most experts think these problems “pose a real threat in 2024 to the public’s confidence in the integrity of [America’s] elections” as well as the “peaceful transfer of power, hallmarks of our democracy.”
Adams is warning Americans to be careful where they are getting their information. They should also be aware that both parties are going to be pushing propaganda and their own narratives, so people should be open to challenging their own beliefs. If something sounds really inflammatory, it requires further research from unbiased sources.
Not Just America
The problem of disinformation and misinformation is not uniquely American. Countries across the world are dealing with it. Billions of people will head to the polls in 2024 to elect new leaders. A senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, Darrell M. West, told The New York Times, “Almost every democracy is under stress […] When you add disinformation [..] it just creates many opportunities for mischief.”
West called the current conditions a “perfect storm of disinformation.”
Russia and China have both been accused of carrying out misinformation and disinformation campaigns in Western nations. Germany recently announced it unearthed a Russian campaign on X, formerly Twitter, which used tens of thousands of fake accounts.
It’s clear that this next year is going to be stressful.
Copyright 2024, NewsReady.com
