John, I don’t need to tell you that disinformation, especially online disinformation, is a serious threat to democracy in the modern era.
What you may not know is there’s a simple action you can take to effectively counter disinformation. In a moment I’ll tell you more about steps you can take. But first, let me summarize what you and I are up against.
Look no further than the horrific events of January 6th -- where an armed, violent mob stormed our United States Capitol, spurred on by former President Trump’s shameless and baseless lies about the integrity of the 2020 elections.
The lies keep coming -- Trump has already claimed that today’s California recall vote is “rigged”, with absolutely zero evidence backing it up. Add to that the unprecedented level of violent threats that election workers are still facing just for doing their jobs, and you have a recipe for disaster.
But it doesn’t end there. These very same lies have fueled more than 400 anti-voter state bills in places like Georgia, Florida, and Texas. You can draw a straight line between Trump's "Big Lie" and these dangerous laws -- which is why I want to share how we're stopping it at the source.
You see, we’ve tracked how voting disinformation spreads through a shadowy, secretive network of online accounts. Literally thousands of anonymous accounts, amplified by far-right personalities -- coming up with new lies faster than we can debunk them.
I bet you've seen some of the more notorious lies -- "ballot audits," math tricks with vote totals, false reports of poll worker misconduct -- come across your social media feeds. And, I'm sure it's frustrating to see these desperate attempts to overturn an election nearly a year later.
Even more frustrating: it inevitably takes just a few minutes of research to debunk these lies -- but we know that when a lie goes viral in moments, the correction rarely reaches as many people.
John, I track disinformation like this every day, and I find it absolutely sickening that so many would respond to losing an election by targeting the foundation of democracy itself -- our free and fair elections.
But that is exactly what we are up against. This is a political movement that does not believe an election is legitimate unless they win it -- and that's a threat to our democracy like we've never faced in the modern era.
Here's some good news: Common Cause has developed a strategy to push back that we refined during the 2020 election. Now, I'm writing because we need your help to scale it up for Election 2022 -- when we expect the far-right to double down on its shameful strategy.
The first step is making sure we're never caught unaware -- and that we are ready to refute lies before they hit the big time.
So, our trained team of staff and volunteers monitor disinformation peddlers’ favorite online haunts to identify, track, and debunk the dozens of new lies that creep out of the Internet each day. We use that research to identify the trends -- and flag them for sites like Facebook and Twitter as we push them to factcheck or take down viral disinformation before it spreads.
But as you know, platforms like Facebook are often too slow to act -- especially with right-wing politicians attacking them on a daily basis for any step, no matter how common sense, to challenge the spread of online disinformation.
That’s where our Social Media Action Team comes in -- informed by the latest research on how the most effective way to combat disinformation is by “pre-bunking” it with proactive, positive, and trustworthy messages.
Our volunteers post messages that reach thousands of people every single day, reinforcing trust in the integrity of our elections, celebrating record voter turnout in 2020, and uplifting the dedication of election workers. These messages work by “inoculating” readers against future disinformation -- so that they are ready to critically evaluate it when it comes across their feed.
In fact, as I write you, hundreds of our volunteers are monitoring the online conversation about California’s recall election today -- ready to push back against lies and disinformation like they have been all month.
Here’s where you come in, John. I’m writing to you today because I’m worried that the forces behind 2020 disinformation are already doubling down on that strategy in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections. If that danger wasn’t readily apparent last year, it should be by now -- online disinformation and its dangerous, anti-democracy real-world effects are here to stay.
That means we need to immediately scale up our work -- and invest even more resources into our innovative and proven anti-disinformation strategy. That means more pressure on social media giants like Facebook to stop platforming lies about our democracy, and more investment in our grassroots Social Media Action Team for what slips through the cracks.
Make no mistake. If we want to be ready for the wave of disinformation that’s coming in 2022, we need to ramp up our efforts now.
John, I’m asking today if you will step up and help us win this fight for the long haul. You can make a major impact, right now, by joining a special group of Common Cause members as a Guardian for Democracy.
This is a special group of members who make small, monthly gifts of $5, $10, or even $25. These steady, reliable monthly donations provide a consistent base of resources to help us plan and budget for these necessary long-term efforts to fight disinformation.
Frankly, the simple act of becoming a Guardian of Democracy is one of the most important steps you can take to defend our democracy. And, as our way of welcoming and thanking you for taking this special step, we’ll send you a copy of Robert Reich’s new book, “The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It” >>
Sorry, I can't become a sustaining member at this time, but I’d still like to make a one-time gift to help where it’s needed most >>
The best way to counter disinformation is with true, trusted facts -- because I have seen it work. I’m also certain that the skilled efforts of Common Cause represent our best shot at stopping disinformation from overwhelming our democracy.
I hope you will accept this invitation to become a Guardian of Democracy today. Your action right now will help ensure our success against those who seek to spread falsehoods and deception.
Truth matters,
Emma Steiner, Disinformation Analyst
and the team at Common Cause
