By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer
The disinformation – false information deliberately intended to mislead by intentionally misstating the facts – that former President Donald Trump is spreading about how FEMA responded to hurricane Helene is having real-life consequences, possibly keeping some people from aid in North Carolina.
Trump’s campaign has posted fake, AI-generated images of him hanging out with Black Americans – another example of disinformation designed to mislead voters – and spotting such fakes can be difficult in the current digital media landscape.
To help voters safeguard themselves from the increasing threat of election misinformation and disinformation, media experts and candidates for local offices armed Sacramento voters with ways to spot bad information at the 2024 Election Education Symposium on Oct. 12 at Sacramento High School.
The event was tailored for voters of color who are disproportionately affected by misinformation, arming them with strategies that can help them tell fact from fiction.
An “overwhelming number” (86%) of Americans get news at least sometimes from digital devices like a smartphone, computer or tablet, said Philip Lewis, senior front page editor at the Huffington Post.
Black Americans get 83% of their news at least sometimes from digital devices while 26% read print, according to Pew Research Center.
Lewis explained that one way to spot AI-generated images is by examining hands, as AI often creates hands with the wrong number of fingers. He also warned attendees about deliberate disinformation on social media, where some individuals profit from spreading false information.
“Sometimes there are photos that look really weird. Maybe it’s too smooth,” Lewis said. “These are some of the things that we’re looking at on social media because they tend to go viral and influence how we look at candidates.”
Lewis showed the crowd a video of a CNN report created by AI and pointed out how oddly the reporter was dressed. The “reporter” was wearing a sleeveless shirt in a combat zone in the Middle East.
“I’ve never seen anyone in a war zone dressed like this,” Lewis joked with the crowd.
Lewis told the crowd that when reading things on X and Instagram, people should know that some people deliberately share disinformation because they can profit from it.
False or misleading posts about the election by Elon Musk, the owner of X, have generated more than 1.2 billion views this election cycle, according to nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.
“You can get paid to push false or misinformation,” Lewis said.
Journalism is messy, Lewis explained, and journalists will make mistakes, which is why readers should make sure to know the names of journalists, check their sources and double check that something is being reported by multiple outlets.
Lewis said consumers of news can take the following steps to spot fakes:
- Consider the source: Examine the website and its mission.
- Read past the headline: Many headlines aim to trigger an emotional reaction to get clicks.
- Check the writer: Google the writer to make sure they are credible, or even real.
- Examine the sources cited in the story.
- Check the date: Old stories often get passed off as new.
“We just have to do our due diligence when it comes to verifying whatever is being shared,” Lewis said.