"Lies That Kill: A Citizen's Guide to Disinformation"
(with Elaine Kamarck) (Brookings Press, 2024)
This book is for concerned citizens who want to understand how disinformation is created and disseminated, but it also shows them how to fight back and protect themselves from lies that can kill. Disinformation thrives in the toxic political environment that exists not only in the United States but around the world. These falsehoods are made possible by rapid advances in digital technology and nefarious organized networks, and these networks can make people rich through subscription fees, advertising revenue, and merchandise sales.
Using disinformation case studies in the areas of election integrity, climate change, public health, race relations, war, and views about government, Elaine Kamarck and Darrell West show how our political, social, and economic environment makes disinformation believable to large numbers of people and easy to disseminate through social media and even mainstream media outlets.
Yet the authors argue that we are not doomed to live in an apocalyptic, post-truth world. We can all take actions to identify and expose disinformation that are consistent with our long-held values of free speech and open debate. Citizen education about disinformation can go a long way toward making us more discerning consumers of online materials, and helping us to spot and minimize its problems. Kamarck and West show how we can reduce disinformation risks through digital literacy programs, careful regulation, well-crafted legislation, and negotiations with countries that harbor disinformation disseminators. The lessons in this important book will make all of us better-informed citizens and voters.
