Finally, someone is calling BS what it is – BS – and seriously taking legal action to stop the propaganda/disinformation tactics which have become the money-making norm for several media organizations, commentators and, of course, Mr. Trump and his lackeys.
“On Monday, electronic voting system company Smartmatic took legal action against Fox News, Newsmax and One America News Network, demanding the outlets retract stories rife with “false and defamatory statements” about its role in the 2020 election.”
“Each outlet published ‘dozens of factually inaccurate statements,’ Smartmatic claimed in the legal notices, all of which could have easily been disproven with a minimal amount of effort.”
“Instead of conducting basic research, however, Smartmatic said the right-wing outlets engaged in what it characterized as a “disinformation campaign” intended to discredit the outcome of the election.”
“They have no evidence to support their attacks on Smartmatic because there is no evidence,” Antonio Mugica, CEO of Smartmatic said in a statement. “This campaign was designed to defame Smartmatic and undermine legitimately conducted elections.”
“Our efforts are more than just about Smartmatic or any other company,” Mugica continued. “This campaign is an attack on election systems and election workers in an effort to depress confidence in future elections and potentially counter the will of the voters, not just here, but in democracies around the world.”
It is way past time for this “Walk that Lonesome Valley” moment and I hope it is one of many more to follow. To begin to move forward our nation must call out and legally compel the propaganda/disinformation perpetrators and facilitators to pay for the damage they have caused to the people of the United States.
Pete Seeger/Arlo Guthrie - You gotta walk that lonesome valley
Each day we are subjected to a massive onslaught of misinformation, propaganda and outright lies originating from our two political parties, mainstream media, predatory capitalist corporations and a slew of other sources.
This is nothing new. Historically, the tools of disinformation, propaganda, "alternative facts", lies, misdirection, etc. have been in use since forever. All centers of power, religious, social, government, including the U.S. government, have used them when it suited their purposes.
The difference we face today is simply the medium or tools used to deliver the falsehoods and misdirection, i.e. social media, as well as the overwhelming volume or immenseness of the onslaught.
Fortunately, our world has not yet totally succumbed to this "Alternative Facts Cesspool" downpour.
With the help of the social media*giants, Google, Facebook, Twitter, we may still have time to turn the social media disinformation tools against the alternative facts / misdirection propagators
If, that is, they will turn on their awesome tech power brains and create a “tech” solution to do the “big lies” data sorting and lay bare those unadulterated truths we are all seeking.
If “they” will deal with the problem that their very existence has helped create, then hopefully, despite all the B.S. flying about, we will eventually find the nuggets of truth buried deep underneath.
As I see it, the big tech guys are all making big bucks. Now, they gotta help solve the big problem. So, Google, Facebook and Twitter – be the SuperHeroes we hoped you’d be! Save U.S. from drowning in B.S.
"...social media’s unprecedented ability to spread disinformation succeeds in part because of vulnerabilities in the way people process and evaluate information. In an information environment characterized by an oversaturation of content and algorithms designed to increase views and shares, narratives (true or not) can quickly go viral by appealing to our biases. This new, decentralized world of content creation and consumption is ripe for exploitation by nefarious actors who seek to spread doubt and untruths."
"To counter modern disinformation, then, we cannot focus solely on social media platforms or current technologies — we should also understand the psychological factors that underpin our identities and perceptions of the truth. Acknowledging the ways in which people are vulnerable to biased narratives is a key part of developing necessary multi-dimensional responses. Armed with this framework, stakeholders can then explore using disinformation tactics for the purpose of elevating credible information, supporting collaborative long-term research on psychological approaches, and creating public-private platforms to share key information across organizations."
"There are two constants in this complex information environment: the use of propaganda and disinformation as tools for influence and obfuscation, and the underlying psychological factors that make humans vulnerable to such narratives. What is subject to change, however, are the technologies by which such content is created and spread."
"Given these factors, it is important not to overstate the impact of technology, but rather to understand and address the interwoven complexities disinformation poses. In the near term, social media platforms are best positioned to lead counter-disinformation efforts, and these efforts should be made as transparent as possible in collaboration with government and other partners. However, all stakeholders should approach it as the multi-dimensional problem that it is, contending honestly with the cognitive limitations of people’s information intake and the ambiguous nature of what constitutes disinformation. Only then will we craft effective policies, regardless of the technologies involved."
*O.K., I know Google is not considered "social media" like Facebook and Twitter. Still, Google is a major player in all this disinformation mess stuff. So, they are in. Just like all the other "big tech" corps. As I see it, the big tech guys are all making big bucks. Now, they gotta help solve the big problem.
**Christina Nemr is Director of Park Advisors, overseeing counter-disinformation and countering violent extremism programming. She previously worked with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism. Will Gangware consulted for Park Advisors and previously worked with the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. This article contains select excerpts from a larger report on psychological and technological vulnerabilities to disinformation found here, https://www.park-advisors.com/disinforeport. Please go here for the full report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5714561a01dbae161fa3cad1/t/5c9cb93724a694b834f23878/1553774904750/PA_WMD_Report_2019.pdf The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not reflect the views of Park Advisors or its clients.
The Greatest American Hero Theme Song - Believe it or Not - Joey Scarbury -1981
It took a lot of effort back then, but I really wanted that exploding battleship toy. It looked like a lot of fun and sending my 35 cents to Battle Creek, Michigan was like taking part in history. I mean, Battle Creek? What a great name! What happened there, anyway?
"I don’t know", I thought, "but just send these boat things to me. I had to have that battleship and submarine!"
Well, one day they came and it was great fun.
The cereal? I guess it was O.K.
Little did I, nor did anyone, know then that sugar would end up making us all sugar addicts some 57 years later and that sugar, in one form or another, would be an ingredient in nearly everything we eat.
The result is that we are not only obese, we are literally the “walking dead”, subject to the eight chronic metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance) diseases: heart disease, lipid (blood) problems, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancer (especially breast and colon), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and dementia. Please go here for the story: http://www.legacygrandkids.info/legacygrandkids_health.html.
How did we get into this predicament?
Obviously, most humans have a major sweet tooth. We love sweets. So, in order to sell more product, the process foods industry simply added heaping loads of sugar to everything they made. Back in the 50s and 60s, no one understood the horrible consequences of mega–sugar-overloaded foods.
It seems that Kellogg set up a “Breakfast Council” consisting of “independent experts” to help the company with its “nutritional” program. The problem is that Kellogg never directly released the information that their “experts” were paid experts.
For me that rings a warning bell.
Like the tobacco industry, the sugar industry adopted and implemented a long-time “disinformation” program, using paid, “independent experts” to discredit years of research which clearly showed the negative health impact of smoking and consuming too much sugar. Both industries disavowed the fact that experts supporting them were paid by the industries to do so and that the research they proffered was tainted.
Combined, their highly effective PR and advertising disinformation programs have directly led to the lung cancer and metabolic syndrome disease epidemics we have endured over the past 60 or so years. The cost to humanity in misery and death has been horrendous. The cost in healthcare dollars ranges into the trillions of dollars.
I hope Kellogg will quickly implement an effort to inform the public about their paid nutritional expert program. The consuming public needs to know that Kellogg’s has their best health interests in mind.
That Akron, OH, kid... who sent his hard-earned 35 cents to Battle Creek, MI... would greatly appreciate it.
