Combating Disinformation by Bolstering Truth and Trust

For Jessica Cecil, today feels a bit like the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, in which agreed-upon facts endure in only a few isolated places of elite discussion and there is no common language of politics. Cecil, founder and former head of the Trusted News Initiative, a global alliance of major… Continue reading Combating Disinformation by Bolstering Truth and Trust

Russia Will Struggle to Sustain Its Disinformation Machine, Former New York Times/BBC Chief Tells RAND Europe

As former head of the New York Times and the BBC, Mark Thompson has tackled disinformation on both sides of the Atlantic. One of his big takeaways: It’s not as easy as you might think to sustain a successful disinformation campaign. “The Russian disinformation machine has taken some good kicks because of facts on the… Continue reading Russia Will Struggle to Sustain Its Disinformation Machine, Former New York Times/BBC Chief Tells RAND Europe

American Psychological Association: The role of psychological warfare in the battle for Ukraine

  Something a bit different today. Rather than analysis I am providing some highlights from a well respected academic and professional source – the American Psychological Association.   As an online instructor for American Military University and the Monterey College of Law I am often asked about ‘peer reviewed scholarly journals’ for students’ use in… Continue reading American Psychological Association: The role of psychological warfare in the battle for Ukraine

NBC’s Disinformation on Academic Transparency

Lawmakers in about a dozen states have introduced bills to promote academic transparency. The rationale is simple and compelling: parents deserve to know what their children are being taught in school. In an era when public schools are increasingly incorporating the discriminatory tenets of Critical Race Theory into all aspects of pedagogy, this is true… Continue reading NBC’s Disinformation on Academic Transparency

Myanmar’s Latest Battle is With FaceBook (Meta) in a California Court Room

We all know and agree that social media is an important influence vector. The latest activity on the world stage is a class action suit against Meta (the former FaceBook) by the Rohingya people of Myanmar who claim that Meta benefited from the harm that the Myanmar government, particularly the military has inflicted upon them.… Continue reading Myanmar’s Latest Battle is With FaceBook (Meta) in a California Court Room

The Russians and Iranians Show Us Why We Need Influence Ranger School

 On November 16, 2021 The Brookings Institute ran an article “How the Kremlin has weaponized the Facebook files” (see: https://brook.gs/3CAi3Dll, which is also a photo source).   Many of us have followed France Haugen’s denouncements of Facebook to learn more about the internal workings of the internet juggernaut. This article describes how the Russians have… Continue reading The Russians and Iranians Show Us Why We Need Influence Ranger School

PSYOP Regimental Blog

  The Shoemaker’s Children Are Barefoot – or who counter’s enemy influence on the US military? A number of publications including the prestigious www.foreignpolicy.com reported on October 21, 2021 that the “U.S. Army Failed to Warn Troops About COVID-19 Disinformation” ( see: https://bit.ly/3vDwnsJ which is also a photo source) According to the article close to… Continue reading PSYOP Regimental Blog

Iran Disinformation Points Way For Near Peers and Others

  The NY Times June 30, 2021 On line edition ran an article: “Iran Disinformation Effort Went Small to Stay Under Big Tech’s Radar” (see: https://nyti.ms/2SXGrh, which is a photo source)   According to the article “Over several months, Iranian agents had infiltrated small WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels and messaging apps that Israeli activists used… Continue reading Iran Disinformation Points Way For Near Peers and Others

Booming Job Market For PSYOPers

  In case you are thinking about transitioning from PSYOP, it looks like your skill set is in high demand. The NY Times online edition, 25 July 2021 and the 26 July 2021 print version ran an article “Disinformation for Hire, a Shadow Industry is Quietly Booming”. (See https://nyti.ms/2Wu7EcX, which is also a photo source.) The… Continue reading Booming Job Market For PSYOPers

Vaccine Hesitancy, Working from Home, Arctic Diplomacy: RAND Weekly Recap

We discuss how Truth Decay is fueling Americans’ vaccine hesitancy; the debate over vaccine patent waivers; how the shift to remote work is reinforcing inequalities; preventing the Capitol attackers from becoming martyrs; the Arctic region’s role in climate and national security; and whether the U.S. government should invest in a GPS backup. Photo by Jose… Continue reading Vaccine Hesitancy, Working from Home, Arctic Diplomacy: RAND Weekly Recap