Disinformation in Action: Recognize it, Fight it
Show Summary: Part II of our Disinformation mini-series. Recognizing disinformation, and how disinformation is used to push policies, not just attack people
Five Different Times, on Seven Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!
Saturdays
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream
Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream
Air Dates: Oct. 12 & 13, 2019 | Ron Rychlak & Jonathan Williams
This week: We continue our discussion with Ron Rychlak, co-author of Disinformation. We’ll talk with him about one of the greatest tools to defeat a disinformation campaign: recognizing it. As we said last week, plots hatched in darkness die in sunlight.
Disinformation in Action
We’ll start by discussing the current disinformation campaign: the latest attack on Donald Trump to ‘re-frame” him as a traitor to his country rather than what he is, a patriot fighting the corruption that runs so deep in our own government.
But people who are about to be exposed are going to fight back. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing now. But the question is, who is running this?
Be sure to tune in to hear the telltale signs of a disinformation campaign as we’re seeing right now. And don’t miss our discussion with Ron about fighting back against disinformation.
You’ll come away with some tools of your own to recognize it. And in the case of disinformation, knowledge truly is power.
Be sure to check out Ron’s terrific book. It is truly an eye-opener about what is happening today as this Soviet-era propaganda tool is still being used today — right here in America
After we speak with Ron, we switch gears a bit to discuss how disinformation isn’t just about attacking and re-framing political or other high-profile targets. It can also be used to push policy.
Applied Disinformation
When it comes to policy, there’s probably no greater example of applied disinformation than Climate Change. Why? Because it’s based on falsehood that’s not easily disproved. But wait, there’s more.
We talk with Jonathan Williams, the chief economist at ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. First, we start with some typical disinformation when it comes to economics. For example, economic policies that sound like they should be true but aren’t. Like “if we raise taxes, the state will get more money.”
Global Warming: the Biggest Disinformation Campaign of All Time
Climate Change, formerly “global warming,” formerly “global cooling,” is a prime example of a hoax masquerading, through the tools of disinformation, as a legitimate science. With the tools from our first guest, you’ll recognize how and why it’s all a giant disinformation campaign.
But you’ll also hear how this disinformation becomes the basis of damaging economic policy. Like California not touching the forests (that are now burning) and pushing through “green energy” instead of common-sense energy programs. And you’ll hear how it violates common economic principles via government control.
Government control is only a good thing when it’s about controlling government.
Podcast Version
Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—the podcast version will be right here after the show airs.
Links Mentioned
- Ron’s book, Disinformation can be found on our store page or just head straight to Amazon.
- The American Legislative Exchange Council is one of the best organizations out there for sound economic policies. Their website can be found at ALEC.org
- Jonathan Williams is the co-author of the annual report, Rich States, Poor States. How is your state doing?
Related Links
- The current disinformation attack on Trump
- Clapper: Obama “made us do it” via Rush Limbaugh (why isn’t this getting more notice?)
- The guys who actually did what they accuse Trump of doing: Understanding Joe Biden and the Burisma scandal, via Gateway Pundit
- John Durham’s Ukrainian Leads (Wall Street Journal, Sept 29, 2019)
- Solomon: These once-secret memos cast doubt on Joe Biden’s Ukraine story (The Hill, Sept 26, 2019)
- Trump Urging Ukrainian Probe of Biden Breaks No Laws (Canada Free Press, Sept 28, 2019)
- Russian Disinformation Is a Serious Threat to Europe. Here’s How to Counter It (Heritage Foundation, Feb 1, 2019)
- To Resist Disinformation, Learn to Think Like an Intelligence Analyst (PDF download, via the CIA)