For the past years the United States has been a tardy, timid, or tertiary player, with the misinformation of the Russian Federation. Beyond that challenge, the United States has not invested sufficient resources to be competitive in the fight against disinformation. Russian information warfare continues to target the United States. However, countering it has not been a budgetary priority.
Nina Jankowici, a member of the Global Wilson Center at the Kennan Institute, says that misinformation spreads across private platforms, closed Facebook groups or “secret” encrypted messengers. These groups are rapidly spreading poorly documented, and sometimes false, information. Journalists can not keep up with this flow of information. Note that the level of confidentiality of these groups is high. Problematically, Facebook is now incentivizing this behavior through its so-called “pivot to privacy,” which emphasizes communication in more private fora.
According to Atlanticcouncil.org, the US should invest more programs to teach people how to navigate the modern information environment including through digital literacy training and civics programs. These programs would not simply teach people to separate “real” and “fake” news, but assist them in sampling a range of viewpoints to inform their daily lives and the criticism that is healthy for any democracy, while developing greater immunity to conspiratorial versions of the truth.
Atlanticcouncil.org says the US must invest more in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America are invaluable resources in the Europe and Eurasia region, even in countries with a seemingly robust media environment. RFE/RL and VOA represent a standard for in-depth, fact-based, non-partisan journalism as a public good.