My turn | Stop the spread of electoral disinformation, disinformation | Comment from guests

Misinformation and misinformation have emerged as a major threat to our democratic processes and informed decision-making. All voters are susceptible: Democrats, Republicans, independents. And all voters are harmed by this alarming trend.

Misinformation is inadvertently sharing false information without the intent to harm. Disinformation is the intentional sharing of false information with the intent to harm.

For example, a recently circulated photo appeared to support claims that Michigan was encapsulating its polling places. This is false. The actual photo was taken in Florida in 2023 as the state prepared for Hurricane Idalia. The widely reported claim that President Joe Biden was sitting on a beach in Delaware during Hurricane Helene was made in late August, a month earlier.

According to the News Literary Project: “Those who create and share misinformation are doing more than just pushing an individual falsehood. They are making a concerted and sustained effort to manipulate our political views by repeating these claims to distort consensus reality or our shared understanding of the world around us.”

Social networks contribute significantly to the spread of false or misleading information. Every age group receives news from social networks. However, 18- to 29-year-olds are particularly vulnerable, as digital devices are their primary source of information, including election information.

Social media algorithms use data from what we’ve liked and shared in the past to decide what to show us next. The result is that we see stories that support our beliefs, which may be based on fabricated information.

Artificial intelligence manipulations increase our skepticism and create confusion about what we are seeing and hearing. We wonder, “Was that really the voice of Kamala Harris/Donald Trump?” Differentiating between real and fake images, audio and text is increasingly difficult to do.

We are all familiar with the term “fake news”. The League of Women Voters avoids the term because it has come to mean more than false information. Fake news is now used in a much broader sense to discredit any opposing point of view and cast doubt on political opponents, positions on controversial issues and the credibility of some media outlets.

It’s common to hear someone say, “That was fake news” about what may be a completely legitimate source.

We can all stop the spread of misinformation/misinformation on social media, traditional media and texts. This is especially important during the 2024 general election. Consider these steps:

• Avoid “sharing” or “liking” unverified social media posts.
• Reduce speed. Be mindful of what you’re looking at, especially for images that trigger your emotions. You start asking yourself, “Are these pictures real?”
• Read beyond the headline. The content of the article can be very different.
• to investigate Check the “about” page of the source’s website to see if there is a financial motivation to encourage you to pick a side or collect votes.
• evaluate Is the source credible? Does the source follow journalistic standards? What is the purpose of the article?
  • verify If the story comes from multiple sources, look for other coverage of the same topic. If it is an image or video of an event, for example a politician speaking, are there other photos of the same event?
  • Report misinformation/disinformation
    • online
    • You can also watch a recording of “Living in a World of Misinformation/Misinformation,” presented by Anne Sullivan and Barbara Laimans of the League of Women Voters of Illinois, at lwvchampaigncounty.org.

    Additional free resources are available to the public at lwvil.org. You’ll find educational materials on critical misinformation/disinformation topics, including First Amendment issues, election security, AI and social media, and how to spot fake news in the media.

    As noted in the Sept. 13 News-Gazette op-ed “How to Avoid AI-Enhanced Attempts to Rig Elections” by Ann G. Skeet and John P. Pellisero: “Voters should knowing the source of information they consume, how it’s verified, and how it’s shared will all contribute to more information literacy, which, along with critical thinking, is a skill voters will need to fill out their ballots this fall. “.

    Electoral rigging and potential sources of misinformation/disinformation are dangerous. We need everyone’s help to intercept them before they go viral and become a serious threat.

    Don’t believe everything you read. Check out some of these fact-checking websites compiled by the Illinois League of Women Voters:

    • newslit.org:
      • The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more informed America. NLP is the country’s leading provider of informative education.
      • Rumorguard.org:
        • A division of the Information Literacy Project. Learn about five factors to consider when evaluating the credibility of a claim.
        • factcheck.org:
          • Through this site, the Annenberg Center for Public Policy confirms the facts behind the claims of political candidates.
          • Snopes.com:
            • An independent publication of Snopes Media Group, this fact-checking website has been described as a “well-regarded reference for debunking myths and rumors” on the Internet.
            • PolitiFact.com:
              • The non-profit project managed by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, focuses on specific statements made by politicians, their staff, lobbyists and others, and rates them for accuracy.
              • USAToday.com – Its fact-checking program maintains the standards and ethics that guide its entire newsgathering and reporting process. The work is supported in part by a grant from Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

Jane Santogrossi is president of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County. The League of Women Voters is a national, nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active citizen participation in their government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and defense