Written by Adam Binks, Best-Case Scenario Staff
Sometime in 2020, a member of my partner’s family kept spouting conspiracy theories: COVID-19 was a hoax; Biden stole the election; and so on. Partly out of curiosity, my partner and I “audited” her Facebook wall to see whether we could get a sense of where this was coming from. To no one’s surprise, the conspiracy theories came from friends on social media.
I asked my partner if this family member, a non-English speaker originally from Vietnam, had any legitimate news sources, such as ABC News, NPR, even “The Daily Show.” Of course, the answer was no. The Mercury News — where this family member lives in San Jose, California — had long ago stopped publishing a Vietnamese-language edition due to budget cuts. There was no robust, fact-checked, journalistic radio, podcast, TV show or print newspaper. When it comes to getting news, it really was and still is word of mouth and Facebook.
The changing media landscape keeps disinformation alive and frequently spreads it — sometimes until the spread of disinformation becomes the story itself, as in the recent case of the Haitian immigrant/pet-eating story in Ohio. Disinformation is often deliberately inaccurate and, also in this recent case, can spread harmful stereotypes, such as blaming distinct groups for particular events.
Worse, our media economy rewards sensationalization through clicks. But safe, healthy civic spaces depend on a healthy media, and a healthy media depends on robust fact-checking, standards and practices at America’s news outlets.
At Best-Case Scenario, we advise partners on how to prevent the spread of disinformation, stop cross-pollination and get ahead of future problematic news coverage. Think about this as both treatment and prevention — like you would approach, say, allergy season in your home. The best approaches include these steps:
- Secure a healthy response. Bad debunking or amplification, however accidental, can amplify the disinformation. Instead, put out correct information and get others to amplify it. It can’t just be boring facts — make your content interesting so that your content is “sticky.” Remember that if the disinformation is sensational, the remedy must also be interesting. Your response should include warning and priming about the untruth and facts, naming the disinformation techniques and naming the motivation behind the disinformation.
- Work with journalists to make sure they do better going forward — that’s even more important than just correcting the falsehood! The issue now is that lots of “unserious” journalists have credentials like a White House press badge and a larger audience. Some journalists have an angle and intentionally report falsehoods. Overcome this with a cacophony of legitimate, serious journalists — and media influencers — working to outshine the bad actors.
- Reach out to the journalists politely but firmly, correcting the disinformation. Lead with positivity, and thank them for their attention to the story. Give concrete feedback. Suggest a variety of accurate sources to further inform their reporting down the road. Ask what reporters need and how you can help. Last, work to build relationships before you need to ask people for something, which often makes them more receptive to your outreach. Remember that journalists are not “on your side” or writing from your point of view, so you are there to correct misinformation without making it sound like you are there to recruit them. They will sniff that out and have editors to report to who want to make sure it is independent writing.
- Talk to standards and practice editors. Often a forgotten part of a news department, these are helpful people to reach out to if you are noticing persistent bad headlines across journalists (like offensive terms or sensationalized images). In this case, address your feedback to the host, breaking news editor, relevant assignment editors or producers. When you engage, focus on the inaccurate or harmful information, start positive and lead with credible resources (and offer yourself as a resource). Building public pressure from social media or from credible associations and interest groups can also help shape the media landscape.
- De-escalate. Focus on humanization across identity. Consult those who are affected. Emphasize norms of nonviolence (e.g., the majority of people oppose political violence) and share what others are doing to de-escalate the situation. Be sure to stress agency, acknowledge emotions and be specific about what we are facing. Talk about the role we all have to play, and center community instead of trying to “make sense” of violence.
By taking these steps, we can ensure that when family and friends consume media, it is coverage that cools temps and helps secure safe, healthy civic spaces for everyone.