With the 2024 election heating up, the misinformation campaigns from our enemies are also heating up — without us even knowing its going on.

Top intelligence officials said recently that Russia is spreading misinformation again in an attempt to shape public opinion before the election. They’re using the crazy news cycle from the past month to push more conspiracy theories and other things to undermine democracy.

“The American public should know that content that they read online — especially on social media — could be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be coming from fellow Americans or originating in the United States,” said an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under rules set by the office of the director. (From the AP article linked above)

This is a well-worn playbook. Even the Trump campaign says it has been hacked by Iran.

Countries that are not friendly to the United States want to sow discord to weaken us. And we’re falling right into the trap.

Three things to do in the last 100 days until the election:

  1. Be skeptical. We all trust people we know for information. It’s in our DNA. But at the same time, you have to be skeptical. Like you learn in journalism school: “If you momma tells you she loves you, check it out.”
  2. Use trusted sources. OK, so if you’re going to be skeptical, go back and look for trusted sources. I’m no fan of 24-hour news networks, but if they’re not reporting it, it might not be true. Same with the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the Associated Press, etc. Just double-check some things before you re-post. There is “fake news” today. It’s everywhere. It’s just not on these publications.
  3. Use your gut. If something seems weird. It probably is. That was true with the Weekly World News back in the day, and most of these “news” websites today aren’t any different than the Weekly World News… except they’re not as much fun to read.

Take a minute this fall. Make sure you’re not falling victim to Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran.