Analysis: Misinformation has created an alternative world for some Americans | CNN Politics
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As the US approaches the third straight election in which misinformation is expected to play a role, it’s important to understand what’s driving people who don’t believe in US elections.

There’s a tendency in this heated political climate to simply reject people who are saying false things and to write off conspiracy theorists writ large.

But as the US approaches the third straight election in which misinformation — and the fight against it — is expected to play a role, it’s important to understand what’s driving people who don’t believe in US elections.

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I talked to O’Sullivan about the documentary, in which he has some frank and disarming talks with people about what has shaken their belief in the US. But he paints an alarming picture about the rise of fringe movements in the country.

Our conversation, conducted by phone and edited for length, is below:

WOLF: What were you trying to accomplish with this project?

O’SULLIVAN: So much of mainstream American politics now is being infected and affected by what is happening on what was once considered the real fringes — fringe platforms, fringe personalities.

And I think really what we want to do in this show is illustrate how these personalities may be pushing falsehoods, but they’re no longer fringe. This is all happening right now. And it is having a big effect on our democracy.

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  • psvrh
    23·
    8 months ago

    If the internet has done anything, it’s a) been a boon for people studying tribal psychology, and b) put a fork in the information deficit model.

    • btaf45@lemmy.world
      241·
      8 months ago

      The internet has shown us that conservatives like to be lied to. But that tendency itself predates the internet. Before conservatives said Obama was a Muslim they said that Eisenhower was a secret Communist. Before conservatives said horse medicine cures covid they said Laetrile cures cancer.

      • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
        6·
        8 months ago

        Via Google AI, for the unawares such as myself

        Laetrile, also known as amygdalin or vitamin B17 , is a man-made version of amygdalin, a plant substance found in some nuts, plants, and fruit seeds. Laetrile is promoted as an alternative cancer treatment , but there’s not enough reliable evidence that it works. Laetrile also contains cyanide, a poison that can cause serious side effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved laetrile as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition. Laetrile has been banned in the United States since 1980, and the FDA upheld the ban in 1979. The cancer establishment has classified laetrile as a classic case of “quackery,” meaning that those who claim it has anti-cancer properties are frauds.