The Most Important Tool To Respond To Propaganda Is Exposing It Through Our Independent And Citizens Media
For example, with colleges and universities in desperate need for fund as a result of budget cuts from state government, they are willing to turn to concentrated corporate wealth to set up think tanks in their university, give it an academic sounding name, hire some professors-spokesperson and abracadabra they have the tools they need for a disinformation campaign. And, of course as corporate media gets more concentrated it also makes it easier to manipulate the media, where many big business interests have interlocking boards or even direct financial control.
But, we also have tools to combat these disinformation strategies and tactics. The most important is exposure. These tactics are ruined if the light of day shines on their activities. And, the credibility of the corporate media is consistently disintegrating as less people trust them for accurate news and more people recognize they are propaganda tools for big business and government. At the same time, our media is rising — the independent media and social media. Advocates for change need to learn to use our media more effectively, working in synergy with our allies to use our networks to get the truth out more widely. In the not to distant future the new media will be more influential then corporate mass media. This day will come more quickly if we recognize our power and work in solidarity across issues to get the truth out.
The slide show below was created by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The strategies and tactics of disinformation they describe in the climate change movement are the same as those applied across issues. Once you are aware of them, they are much easier to see and expose.