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Friend, The spread of disinformation is nothing new, but its harm has lasting effects on the communities we serve here at the SPLC. Its weaponization has led to the growing hate, distrust and attacks on the electoral process, people of color, immigrants and LGBTQ+ folks — all crafted by the hands of far-right extremists. Combating disinformation is not easy and takes a long time to undo all the damage, but with the right tools and the power of the people, we can push back on the false narratives that jeopardize the communities we work hard to protect. Our Intelligence Project experts publish comprehensive reports that highlight the far right’s tactics to use disinformation as a tool to gain power and control. As we brace for the battles ahead, we must remember that our civil and human rights are at stake — and we will continue to fight for them until we are all free. Created by the Heritage Foundation — a conservative think tank that regularly uses and spreads disinformation — Project 2025’s extremist objective is to reshape presidential powers and the federal bureaucracy in the image of dominionism. This playbook, intended for the next conservative presidency, is a salient example of how dangerous disinformation and false conspiracies are for the well-being of our country. Developed and supported by 75 organizations — and at least nine antigovernment and hate groups like Moms for Liberty and Center for Immigration Studies — some of Project 2025’s individual policy plans include carrying out mass deportations, gutting abortion rights, erasing LGBTQ+ people and stripping voting rights, which targets people of color. When they attack our communities by calling immigrants “vermin,” and dehumanize LGBTQ+ people as “pedophiles” and “groomers,” we must fight back with all we have. Here are some of analyses published to challenge the hateful rhetoric and disinformation campaigns meant to divide and poison the fabric of our communities: Combating Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience: Developed with our partners, this report helps navigate the perils of anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience by analyzing the bad actors using the language of science to attack the medical consensus supporting LGBTQ+ affirming health care. Antisemitism and the Adaptability of Conspiracy: Also a part of our Year in Hate and Extremism report, this research examines the antisemitic rhetoric that has spiked since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, seeping into mainstream at an alarming pace and blurring the lines between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and outright antisemitism. Conspiratorial Rhetoric of Migrant ‘Invasion’ Reaches High Levels in 2023: The idea of an invasion by migrants and asylum seekers feeds into the “great replacement” theory, a racist conspiracy theory that claims white people in Western nations are being displaced and replaced by immigrants and people of color.
While “The Big Lie” continues to make a significant impact on public opinion over our elections process, we are prepared to counter election disinformation as the presidential election approaches. Here is a guide we created for you to spot election disinformation for this upcoming November and beyond. It takes many resources to publish these imperative reports that we share with the public, media and other organizations that align with our values. That’s why we are asking for your help once more. Friend, will you consider making a donation today to help the SPLC continue its fight against extremist disinformation? Any amount you give will go directly to helping our experts produce powerful investigative reports that defy false narratives and expose the far right’s plan to undo our democracy.
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