Last
week, violent insurgents, supporting President
Trump, stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an
attempt to interfere with Congress’s official
counting of the electoral college votes. This
unprecedented clash was largely spurred by an
extended campaign of misinformation which claimed
that the result of the presidential election was
fraudulent. Freedom of speech and access to
information are fundamental rights of Americans
and can be a driver of powerful positive social
change, but the events that took place in the
Capitol demonstrate how easily misinformation can
be weaponized and used to coerce people to take
extreme and deadly measures into their own
hands.
Today, everyone has instant
access to almost unlimited news and sources of
information, creating an environment where real
news competes with misinformation. This trend
needs to be reversed. This starts with rebuilding
trust in the media by reinvigorating local news
sources which can address the homegrown issues
directly affecting people and emphasizing the need
to diversify news/information sources. It is more
important than ever for each citizen to be able to
recognize misinformation when they come across it
in their own lives so what happened in the Capitol
never happens again. Leadership across the country
– political, religious, celebrities, influencers
and others in prominent positions – also have a
responsibility to promote a more civil discourse,
no matter their opinion. To this end, The We Hold
These Truths campaign will begin to address issues
of misinformation, local journalism and media
trust as a core component of our work in
2021.
For more, make sure check out
some ways
you can recognize misinformation. As
always, we welcome your thoughts and
comments.
