states working to fight misinformation and disinformation

Working in the profession of emergency management is not getting easier, it is getting harder. Not only are we trying to provide the best information to our constituents about an ongoing disaster, but we have to now fight misinformation (what we might have called rumors before)) Then there is outright disinformation which is meant to create any manner of confusion for whatever nefarious reasons the person or organization might have.

See this Government Technology article, States Work to Fight Disinformation During Emergencies

It is a good summary of the challenges and a few positive steps that have been taken to date. This is a good quote from the article:

“Without legal avenues to tamp down misinformation, officials have had to be direct in confronting falsehoods, some even launching websites dedicated to addressing and correcting online rumors. Experts call the practice “pre-bunking.”

Newsom launched the California Fire Facts website that shows “lies” about the state’s response to the wildfires along with true information. Among the claims from social media: Democratic leaders started the fires to hide “pedophile tunnels”; one fire stemmed from a satanic ritual; the state wants out-of-staters to come help fight the blazes. All of these, the site noted, are false. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency is updating a site previously used during hurricanes to address rumors.”

Don’t think this problem is going to go away. It is only going to get worse, so construct your own plans for how you will get good information in the hands of people and counteract the bad information.

Now playing at the Disaster Zone Podcast is this Combating Misinformation and Disinformation