On Disinformation

How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy

De: Lee McIntyre

Narrado por: Brian P. Craig

The effort to destroy facts and make America ungovernable didn't come out of nowhere. It is the culmination of seventy years of strategic denialism. In On Disinformation, Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of our society. Drawing on his twenty years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities, why the best way to combat disinformation is to disrupt its spread, and most importantly, how we can win the war on truth.

McIntyre goes through the history of strategic denialism to show how we arrived at this precarious political moment and identifies the creators, amplifiers, and believers of disinformation. On Disinformation lays out ten everyday practical steps that we can take as ordinary citizens-from resisting polarization to pressuring our Congress people to regulate social media-as well as the important steps our government (if we elect the right leaders) must take.

On Disinformation empowers us to save our republic from autocracy before it is too late.

©2023 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (P)2024 Tantor

Excellent general information and historical reference that sorely needs an update

Talking about disinformation in our modern era is like hitting a moving target with ever-increasing challenges. I commend the author for committing himself to this much-needed education which should be included in upper-level education in our country. First, the good stuff: The author does an excellent job of offering a pocket-level understanding of disinformation from the 20th century-onward, with easy-to-remember and follow suggestions for how to combat it. The narrator does an excellent job and the overall technical quality is outstanding.

This is a good general education for what I would expect out of a shortened length (2.5 hours), but it’s already showing its signs of age with several references and omissions. (There are zero mentions of AI’s involvement with misinformation, no mentions of TikTok, or how influencers have been co-opted for governmental misinformation schemes.) Also, the author extemporizes on the late Russian dissident, Navalny, as still among the living.

The author should have provided an addendum to the audiobook.

Frightening Truth Well Spoken

Effective at shaking us out of our complacency. This is a book that should be taught in Civics classes. Highly recommended!