Welcome to Defend American Democracy, a project of Protect The Investigation. You'll hear from us regularly about the latest news to protect our democracy -- and how you can take action. If you'd like to share a topic we should cover, reply to this email.

In February, the director-general of the World Health Organization warned, "we're not just fighting an epidemic; we're fighting an infodemic. Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous." [[link removed]]

Right now, with concerns about coronavirus growing daily, it's understandable why many would look to online sources for guidance. However, not all information is created equal.

It's not only cyberattacks we need to be concerned with but also the spread of disinformation across social media platforms. Here are some examples from the last week:

Last Sunday, the National Security Council was forced to address rumors circulating on social media that the White House was considering a national quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19. [[link removed]]

Another fake rumor alleged a shutdown of the New York City subways and another included a list of unverified medical advice claiming to have been published by the Stanford Hospital board. [[link removed]] [[link removed]]

Given the steady increase in the time people spend online, disinformation can quickly become a real threat -- we're seeing it already. While not every piece of disinformation can easily be detected, there is a role you can play in helping stamp it out:

1. Verify the source. When reading news online, check for obvious indicators of authenticity such as the name of the media outlet or organization, website, and time and date of publication. Is this an outlet you're familiar with or a brand you're used to hearing from? If not, take a second look. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes, citations at the end of the article or throughout, as well as formatting irregularities. These are hints that something might not be right.

2. Look around. If you're ever in doubt that a source is fake news, ask around. By confirming that both the content and the source are reliable, you are playing an important role in the review process.

3. Consider not sharing. Think before you share. If you have your concerns that a source is false, misleading, or corrupt, consider not sharing their content. Others will appreciate you. By not sharing, you are stopping the flow of disinformation from reaching your friends and greater network. If you are certain a post is fake news, report it. It is on all of us to reduce and ultimately eradicate disinformation and even the smallest of actions can have a large impact.


Thanks for taking action and more soon,
The Defend American Democracy Team
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