New Insights On Disinformation From The Ukraine War

The outrageous Russian invasion of Ukraine is a tragic nightmare that no one could have imagined only a few weeks ago.   The outcome of course is uncertain at this stage, but already there are lessons to learn that can provide some useful insights on one the biggest social viruses in our time – the unprecedented rise of disinformation.  In particular, Putin’s clampdown on free speech has been beyond belief, replaced by a dominating spread of false information.

The Harmful Dangers of Disinformation

• Manipulating Public Opinion – the Ukraine war demonstrates how an authoritative leader (i.e. Putin – like Hitler) can effectively smother the truth by controlling all media.  Younger Russians were originally aware of the truth about the Ukraine invasion but then Putin censored all independent news sources within Russia, including internet communications   Instead disinformation over Russian TV and newspaper media has convinced over two thirds of the public (and even Russian soldiers) that NATO is at fault and Russian forces are needed to liberate Ukraine and crush the neo-Nazis there.
•  Social Media – this has been a ubiquitous catalyst for spreading disinformation. For example, many Americans obsessed with their individual freedom and rights can always find false anti-vax conspiracy theories online that justify their self-centered decision to not get vaccinated, never admitting to the harm they can cause for others.  On the other hand, many hope the internet can somehow reach enough younger Russians with the truth who could lead more protests, despite the severe risks of retribution by police, and eventually sway most of the misled public.
• Extreme Partisanship – disinformation has contributed to the nasty social and political divides that we all experience in the U.S. today. Russia’s insertion of disinformation in social media helped elect Trump in 2016.  Now Trump is calling Putin “savvy” and his advance into Ukraine as “genius”, claims which exacerbate contentious positions.   Many journalists warn that such “cheap speech” poses serious dangers for American democracy and confidence in our elections.

How We Can Combat Disinformation

Social psychologists liken this dangerous trend of disinformation to a “virus” that results in “brainwashing” when it enters one’s mind and is very difficult to “de-program”.  Trump’s fake news about his stolen election lie is an example of how contagious such falsehoods can become.  To fight this disinformation virus, psychologists recommend an “inoculation” that basically immunizes this virus.  This involves a pre-emptive initiative to spread the truth in advance of a predicted introduction of vitriolic disinformation.

The Biden administration used this transparency strategy before the Ukraine invasion.  It opened classified intelligence and used satellite imagery to publicly describe the Russian troop build-up and even their planned tactics to establish a pretext for the invasion. This pre-emption of the anticipated disinformation by Russia helped unite all the NATO forces and even the American public and congress.

Timing and creativity for pre-emptive communications are essential.  By the time the 2020 election took place, Trump had warned his followers with disinformation about anticipated election fraud.  Hence it was too late to be pre-emptive with the truth since 70% of Republicans already believed it was stolen and ample evidence subsequently could not persuade them otherwise.

The pro-truth folks believe proactive steps are critical to combat this chronic “virus” of disinformation.  More exhaustive due diligence earlier is important to better anticipate new disinformation, followed by  pre-emptive communication of the truth well before special events like elections, a key lesson learned from this Ukrainian situation.

Another way to counter disinformation is to use trusted messengers of the truth.  For example, doctors, scientists and educators are highly trusted compared to politicians, according to the Edelman Trust barometer, so they could be ideal spokespeople.  Depending on the issues, business leaders are more trusted and could also be credible communicators.

Finally nothing works as well to fight disinformation as a heroic leader. President Zelensky has become that credible, inspirational leader.  He has emotionally connected with his people and the free world with his Churchill-like performance and his audacious resiliency.