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By Ken Harbaugh and Scott Peoples

In the past, if adversaries flew over a military base and dropped leaflets, the military would have shot them down. Now, they infiltrate bases online and we are left scrambling to respond.

In many ways, the same can be said for our North Carolina media space, where concerns over online disinformation loom larger than ever as November’s election rapidly approaches. Our state, a pivotal battleground as America selects its 47^th president, has already been targeted by misleading campaigns. These are aimed at exploiting voter fears, further polarizing communities and muddying the waters of what should be intelligent debate.

For instance, after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of western North Carolina, false claims circulated online that FEMA was withholding recovery funds and diverting resources to migrants, leading to threats against relief workers and hampering their efforts on the ground.

From veterans to the broader public, North Carolinians face a critical challenge: distinguishing fact from fiction amid an increasingly deceptive information landscape. While not perfect, the past offers some keys to arm us for the present.

For decades North Carolina media was subject to public decency standards, libel laws, and the Fairness Doctrine – an FCC policy that once required broadcasters to present contrasting views on important public issues. These guardrails were largely in place during NC’s first newspaper, The North Carolina Gazette, and early radio and TV stations such as WBT and WBTV. These outlets operated with a mix of political slant and factual reporting, but crucially, humans were behind every story, a live editor to potentially correct inaccuracies.

Today is drastically different. Social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok operate with no public decency standards, libel laws or Fairness Doctrine. They mix political news, videos, memes, cat pictures, and posts that resemble news into a confusing digital stew.

In the past, newsrooms followed the saying “if it bleeds, it leads,” prioritizing sensational stories. Now, however, content is controlled by computer algorithms that put sensationalism on steroids. These algorithms prioritize user engagement over accuracy, keeping people on the platform longer to increase ad revenue and creating a breeding ground for disinformation campaigns.

Online lies reached a crescendo during the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Afterwards, Special Counsel and former FBI Director, Robert Mueller, spent two years investigating Russian efforts to use social media to influence the outcome of the election. Mueller found Russia’s primary goal was to weaken America by making online debate so angry that citizens question the validity of democracy.

Unfortunately, that theme has taken root ever since. The clearest example is the continuing spread of “The Big Lie” – the unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. Across all social media platforms, right-wing media outlets and certain political figures push this lie, which Russian, Iranian, North Korean, Chinese and other foreign operatives then amplify. The result has been the further erosion of public trust in our electoral process.

To repel attacks from these adversaries who believe in neither democracy nor free speech (Russia, Iran, North Korea and China), we have been fighting back with a coalition of veterans drawn from different political parties and diverse backgrounds.

First, we have asked Democrats, Republicans and Independents for a simple pledge — honor the 2024 election results and also renounce violence in what is shaping up to be the most consequential campaign season in our lifetime.

Second, we are also working to educate folks on political disinformation with a series of explainer videos in addition to promoting the Veterans Administration’s simple yet effective advice.

The V.A. recommends slowing down when you read. If a story or social media post really grabs you, verify the information by checking it against multiple reputable sources. If you can’t confirm the information through diverse perspectives, it’s likely to be misleading.

Try the V.A.’s THINK checklist. Disinformation is written to trigger our emotions. THINK is a good way to see through this fog. T, is it True? H, is it Helpful? I, is it Inspiring? N, is it Necessary? K, is it Kind? If you said no to each of the criteria, it is likely misinformation, which is often negative, nasty, and certainly not inspiring.

Remember, the fight against disinformation is a collective effort and critical to the future of democracy. With focus, we Americans can conquer it. As Abraham Lincoln once said, not everything you read on the Internet is true …

Scott Peoples served as a captain in the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division during the global fight against terrorism. He now advocates for free and fair elections in North Carolina and is a member of Veterans for Responsible Leadership (VFRL).

Ken Harbaugh is a former U.S. Navy pilot and mission commander, and host of the Burn The Boats podcast. A Yale Law School graduate, he also co-produced the upcoming documentary film “Against All Enemies” about the domestic violent extremist movement, and serves on the board of several veteran non-profits, including VFRL. 

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