[1]Strengthening Trust top banner

Shared narratives are an essential part of community-building. We tell
stories about who we are, why we’re here, and what we believe—thereby
creating trust and identity. But a deluge of disinformation puts all of
this at risk. From conspiracy theorists to coordinated campaigns, when bad
information floods the public square, people lose the ability to tell fact
from fiction. To strengthen trust, we must enact stronger content
moderation that prevents lies from spreading, create media that shares the
truth, and invest in the infrastructure needed to keep communities informed
of the facts.

This week, [2]In Focus takes a closer look at how information impacts—and
is impacted by—the ongoing crisis of fractured trust. We’ll hear from
experts and activists on the importance of accessibility, reliability, and
credibility.

[3]

The good news about the 2022 midterm elections is that disinformation and
misinformation didn’t push the country into another existential crisis. The
bad news? False information is still out there generating mistrust. This
week, in a session at Aspen Digital’s [4]Cyber Summit, three noted
cybersecurity experts [5]discussed strategies for keeping it in check.

What’s new

The fever is breaking, perhaps. This November’s election shows that a
majority of voters are done with conspiracy thinking and less susceptible
to disinformation campaigns. Content moderation seems to have worked,
especially among those spreading election denial, but there are still
entire cultures built around misinformation.

Key strategies for restoring trust
* Prebunking: This means going on the offense, warning people ahead of
time that they’ll be targeted, and telling them how and why it’s going to
happen.

* Regulation: Though Europe’s Digital Services Act might be challenged
as unconstitutional in the US, it’s a model that may become the de facto
standard for regulating misinformation.

* Transparency: When officials and experts communicate clearly and
honestly, there’s less room for conspiracy to grow.

What’s next

Leaders have to lead. We can’t continue to humor those who peddle
misinformation.

[6]Watch the full session to understand how disinformation works, how to
recognize it, and how different actors—foreign and domestic—weaponize it
differently.

[7]Twitter icon

[8]

Native students struggled with unstable internet connections before the
pandemic, but the switch to remote learning turned the issue into a crisis.
Triston Black has witnessed the consequences of poor broadband
infrastructure throughout the Navajo Nation. The 2022 [9]Center of Native
American Youth Champion for Change shed light on tribal communities’
growing need for high-speed internet [10]in an op-ed for Teen Vogue.
Unreliable connections have a devastating impact on educational attainment
and limit media awareness and access to information. Black implores funders
and Native leadership to develop and deploy broadband services to bridge
the digital divide.

[11]Read the article here.

[12]Twitter icon

[13]Building Trust in an Age of Disinformation

[14]Aspen Digital Executive Director Vivian Schiller recently joined
[15]The New CCO podcast to discuss how business and media can build trust
in a time rife with disinformation. Though she says we’ve never had as much
high-quality journalism as we do now, there are consequences to an
oversaturated market—some credible sources may be drowned out by those who
don’t value accuracy or authenticity. This is why media players must be
responsible for holding industry peers accountable and safeguarding
reliable information sources.

Catch [16]a couple clips over on our Instagram account, or [17]listen to
the full episode here.

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