OPINION: U.S. faces deadly threat of misinformation fueled by conservative leaders
“Kentucky Sen. Randal ‘Rand” Howard Paul” Photo by Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images.
Michael Riojas is a senior studying journalism and an opinion writer for The New Political.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
In recent years, misinformation has run rampant in the United States. As a result, belief in conspiracy theories reached an all-time high, trust in our nation’s democratic process has waned and hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from a preventable disease. To understand the role of misinformation, we first need to understand two things about it: how it spreads and where it originates.
The spread of false knowledge is the bulk of the problem. Disinformation, information that is intended to deceive, is the catalyst for misinformation. Most disinformation is created by a minority of people on social media, often in regard to social and political issues such as vaccine conspiracies or election lies.
Politicians, especially Republicans, have been using disinformation to their advantage for years. Clips of Senator Rand Paul and Donald Trump’s CIA Director Mike Pompeo show how blasé lying is for many conservative politicians. Even more egregious, Trump has told over 30,000 lies during his time as president and is perhaps the most responsible for the dystopian rise in COVID-19 and election conspiracy theories.
The 2020 election, by every account, was one of the most secure elections in U.S. history. Still, nearly 70% of Republican voters believe the election was stolen from Donald Trump. According to Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, none of his Republican colleagues “actually believes” the 2020 election was stolen, but many GOP elites continue to disinform. The decrease in trust in American democracy has been the result of one man’s fractured ego and the willingness of his sycophants to play along despite knowing better.
However, elected Republicans are not the only ones spreading disinformation. Conservative TV media have perpetuated election lies about voting machines and mail-in ballots. They have also played a large part in their viewers’ willingness, or lack thereof, to get vaccinated. Based on a 2020 Pew Research study, Republican voters received their news mainly from one source: Fox News. Like other right-leaning sources, they provide their viewers with mixed messages regarding vaccine information and have likely contributed to preventable American deaths, especially in red counties. A small handful of conservative hosts pander to the Republican establishment, and their pandering hurts their viewers. As a result, these voters are not only ill-informed regarding some of the significant issues our country faces but tend to elect leaders that continue to perpetuate similar lies, thus creating a cycle.
This isn’t to say that networks who cater liberal politics are free from error. Corporate Democrats, along with networks such as CNN and MSNBC, have been accused of perpetuating pro-military-industrial-complex and pro-status quo propaganda, but currently it seems the most dangerous disinformation comes from right-wing sources.
As misinformation continues to spread rapidly, trust in our government will likely continue to diminish and the U.S. will pay the price of these lies. With midterm elections coming up and 2024 not far off, the threat could become much, much worse.