Disinformation Control: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

At least since the 2016 Presidential election, policymakers and civic leaders have warned that the U.S. is facing an onslaught of misinformation, disinformation, mal-information and the like. The harms, it is said, are enormous--everything from undermining trust in core political institutions to affecting the outcomes of campaigns and elections. In response, government, foundations, and academe have rushed to implement a variety of “disinformation control” measures.

Notwithstanding the uproar, the evidentiary basis for worries about disinformation--as well as claims about the virtues of disinformation control--remain deeply contested and highly politicized. This roundtable, convening scholars with widely varying perspectives on the issues, will address a range of critical questions:

• How do we define “disinformation” not only in abstract terms but also in actual political conflicts?
• Is “disinformation” new—or is it an age-old feature of democratic politics?
• How does disinformation affect political activism, particularly activism by marginalized communities?
• Should a central authority, whether governmental, corporate or academic, be empowered to determine what is and is not disinformation? Or is any such determination better left to the individual and the marketplace of ideas?
• What is the relationship between government propaganda campaigns, whether conducted by the U.S. or foreign governments, and governmental efforts to control “disinformation?”
• Who are the main governmental and civic agents promoting disinformation--and disinformation control measures--and what are their agendas?
• Given the long and well-documented history of lying by governmental, military, and spy agencies, as well as by private entities such as corporations, does it make sense to crown any such entities as “factcheckers?”
• Who checks the “factcheckers?”
• What is the record of “factcheckers” concerning recent controversial issues such as race relations, covid, Russiagate, and the Ukraine war?
• Does disinformation—or disinformation control—pose a greater risk to liberties and democracy?
• Is it possible for the American government to control “disinformation” whether directly or indirectly (e.g., through pressure on corporations) without violating current First Amendment law?

To answer these and related questions, this roundtable will convene scholars whose work takes a wide variety of perspectives on the issues. Clifford Bob, chair, has written on social movement framing in human rights activism, as well as government-sponsored disinformation and fearmongering. Joseph Boyd-Barrett has documented the political origins of false narratives driving media coverage of Russiagate. Danielle Brown writes on media injustice, including misinformation about the lives and protest of marginalized communities. Deen Freelon analyzes how identity characteristics such as race, gender, and ideology influence the ways in which people use and misuse digital communication technologies. Hans Klein focuses his research on persuasive social control and the creation of dominant if often false narratives about political events. Daniel Kreiss has written articles arguing that the problem of misinformation is overblown but supports the idea of private platforms creating their own discursive rules in alignment with the values of their many stakeholders. Steven Livingston has published a Social Science Research Council book on “The Disinformation Age” and generally favors controls on disinformation. Shannon Custer McGregor’s research asks how the policies and actions of technology companies, including their efforts at digital disinformation control, impact politics and shape political behavior. Kevin Narizny is a scholar of international relations who supports robust First Amendment protections for political speech concerning foreign and domestic policies. Piers Robinson is co-director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies and a founder of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. Gerald Sussman has written extensively about the use of government propaganda and corporate advertising to exert social control in neoliberal societies.

Together the roundtable participants will present a lively and informed debate about issues central to this year’s APSA theme and critical to American liberty and democracy.

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Chair

• Clifford Bob Duquesne University

Presenters

• Joseph Oliver Boydbarrett Bowling Green State University, Ohio

• Danielle K Brown Michigan State University

• Deen Freelon University of Pennsylvania

• Hans K. Klein Georgia Institute of Technology

• Kevin Narizny Lehigh University

• Piers Robinson Organisation for Propaganda Studies

• Gerry Sussman Portland State University