The battle between truth and lies; Will truth prevail?

There’s an old saying: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.”

If that’s true, then we have to get our boots on as fast as we can. If we hope to have a fair and honest election in 2024 — and ultimately defeat Trump — we have work to do.

According to a recent New York Times article:

“Mr. Trump and his allies {have} embarked on a coordinated effort to block what they viewed as a dangerous effort to censor conservatives. They have unquestionably prevailed.

Facing legal and political blowback, the Biden administration has largely abandoned moves that might be construed as stifling political speech.

While little noticed by most Americans, the effort has helped cut a path for Mr. Trump’s attempt to recapture the presidency. Disinformation about elections is once again coursing through news feeds, aiding Mr. Trump as he fuels his comeback with falsehoods about the 2020 election.”

There are difficult questions to be pondered here. Can/should the government regulate what can be posted to privately-owned media platforms, such as X and Facebook? Conversely, can these media-platforms ban whomever they choose? When does a ban, no matter who well-intentioned, amount to censorship or discrimination? Where is the dividing line between protecting First Amendment freedoms and protecting the public from a torrent of lies and disinformation that threatens those very freedoms?

The problem is that, while we may view this as a nuanced issue, with some regulation being appropriate, MAGA world wants it to be open-season for any and all postings. Truth be damned!

Back in 2021-22, Trump (as well as some of his co-horts) were banned from Twitter and Facebook. At the time, there was a sense that there would be accountability for knowingly and repeatedly promulgating falsehoods — especially when designed to influence elections. Unfortunately, according to the NYT article cited at the top, this has now all been erased. Successfully arguing that any restrictions amount to an infringement of First Amendment rights, Trump and his MAGA-world allies now appear to be free to post whatever falsehoods they want. As a result, there is a real danger that a tsunami of right-wing disinformation and lies could tilt the upcoming election to Trump.

The ultimate fate of this debate may rest in the Supreme Court. “In a major case testing the role of the First Amendment in the internet age, they will hear arguments focused on the federal government’s ability to combat what it sees as false, misleading or dangerous information online.” A ruling probably won’t be issued until the summer.

You can make a difference

We can’t afford to wait for the Supremes to weigh in. No matter what they rule, it won’t save us anyway. We need to start right now to combat disinformation in social media. What can you do? For starters, you can join Indivisible’s Truth Brigade. Here’s their mission:

“Truth Brigaders learn how and when to respond to even the most toxic disinformation with confidence and for the greatest impact. Activists and organizers like YOU are the key to countering disinformation. People believe sources they trust. When we share and amplify consistent, factual, and strategic messages to those who trust us, we measurably shift the narrative.”

The above-linked page contains a wealth of valuable information, offering a guide to “Best Practices” in dealing with disinformation and how to craft a “Truth Sandwich.”

“Research shows people tend to remember what they hear first, last, and most often. The Indivisible Truth Brigade message system therefore recommends crafting a counter-message in three short parts (sentences or phrases), opening and closing with a repeated version of the same truth.” In other words, a ‘truth sandwich.’”

Truth Brigade’s Message Campaign events take place on Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month. You can find links to these and other Truth Brigade events on this Indivisible page. We strongly encourage you to sign up for them. You can make a difference!

Lies may already be half-way around the world. But we can still over-take them with truth.