Disinformation
How do you know what's real on social media or TV? That's the premise behind "Disinformation" - with award-winning Evergreen host Paul Brandus. Get ready for amazing stories - war, espionage, corruption, elections, and assorted trickery showing how false information is turning our world inside out - and what we can do about it. Remember: Don't believe everything you read! A co-production of Evergreen and Emergent Risk International.
Episodes
November 28, 2023 • 30 mins
As we celebrate our holiday break here on Disinformation, we wanted to re-share our episode from season 1 titled "A House Divided - Political Division & Disinformation's Role" - on this episode, we discuss the growing political divide in the U.S. and how disinformation fuels the partisan fire.
Americans see each other in increasingly tribalistic terms — one side or the other seems, at times, a tinderbox for violence. Adversaries li...
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November 14, 2023 • 19 mins
"I can filter out four or five star quality hotels and restaurants today. We can't do that with our personal information."
In this episode of the award-winning podcast series "Disinformation," host Paul Brandus discusses the need for safety standards in the information we consume. While there are regulations in place for the safety of our food, water, and air, there are none for the content we see just as often. Meredith Wilson, CE...
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November 2, 2023 • 23 mins
"The federal government is stepping up its efforts to counter foreign disinformation."
In this episode, we explore the lesser-known agencies within the United States Intelligence Community. With the rise of false information and disinformation as a major threat, the federal government is increasing its efforts to counter foreign disinformation. The Director of National Intelligence discusses the establishment of a farm line influen...
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October 17, 2023 • 19 mins
"... truth is the first casualty of war."
In all times, but especially in wartime, we are challenged to separate fact from fiction. On this special episode of Disinformation, we break from our miniseries on combating disinformation to discuss the recent surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the evolving nature of information dissemination, and the importance of verifying sources in a fast-moving conflict. We also interview Rafi Mende...
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October 3, 2023 • 18 mins
"Living in a post-fact world is a scary place to be, as we learned during the pandemic, right? People don't believe anything."
In part 1 of this 3 part series on combating disinformation, we delve into the world of media literacy, critical thinking, and the battle against disinformation in Europe. Join host Paul Brandus as he explores the challenges faced by countries like Slovakia and Bulgaria, where a lack of media literacy leave...
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September 19, 2023 • 21 mins
"... this is a Doom Loop: authorities screw up, people die, trust is eroded."
In this podcast episode, host Paul Brandus discusses the dangerous spread of false narratives during natural disasters and crises. He highlights the devastating impact of Hurricane Adelia on Cedar Key, Florida, and the disinformation that followed, causing confusion and undermining trust in authorities. He also discusses the phenomenon of disinformation d...
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September 5, 2023 • 20 mins
"What kind of company, a publicly traded company, doesn't share its most basic financial information with investors?
In this episode of Disinformation, host Paul Brandus delves into the infamous case of Enron, a Houston-based energy company that was once a Wall Street darling. Enron manipulated its financial information, misrepresenting its earnings and altering its balance sheet to deceive investors. The host also discusses other...
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August 22, 2023 • 18 mins
"It creates this sort of feedback loop of Disinformation that's happening all the time there."
On this episode of Disinformation, hosts Paul Brandus and Meredith Wilson delve into the concerning rise of disinformation in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The episode highlights the protests outside the White House during Modi's visit, where opponents accused him of undermining democracy and suppressing fre...
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August 8, 2023 • 18 mins
"What is the line where your ability to say what you want stops and your ability to make up things that harm people starts?"
In Elon Musk's recent interview with the BBC, he discussed free speech and his vision for the platform to serve as a "digital town square." However, the challenge arises when determining what constitutes misinformation in a divided society where basic facts are contested. The episode explores the concept of ...
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July 25, 2023 • 18 mins
In this episode of "Disinformation," host Paul Brandus and analyst Meredith Wilson explore the overwhelming amount of information that bombards us each day. Dr. Daniel Levitin, a cognitive psychologist and author, explains that we are faced with five times more information than ever before, making it difficult to discern what is true and what is not. The rise of social media and tribalism further complicates this issue, as we tend ...
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July 4, 2023 • 18 mins
In this episode of "Disinformation," Paul Brandus explores the extent of Russian influence operations and disinformation efforts beyond just elections and social issues. He discusses the role of the Internet Research Agency, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, in spreading false narratives. Meredith Wilson, CEO of Emergent Risk International, provides analysis on how the private sector and business community are also targeted by Russian disi...
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June 20, 2023 • 17 mins
In season two of the Disinformation podcast, Paul Brandus discusses the emergence of avatars and false media outlets created by artificial intelligence, blurring the lines between fact and fiction; truth and untruth. He and Meredith Wilson, CEO of Emergent Risk International, discuss how the rapid growth of AI accelerates the possibility of false narratives spreading faster than ever before, and how these false narratives are forms...
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June 6, 2023 • 20 mins
Today, we're taking time to recap some of our past reporting. Please enjoy this retrospective from our Season 1 episode "News Deserts".
Season 2 coming soon!
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May 16, 2023 • 18 mins
A look back at some material from our first season – highlighting the growing dangers of disinformation, but also some ideas on how, perhaps, it can be thwarted. Appearing: Meredith Wilson, chief executive officer of Emergent Risk International, and Brady Roberts, ERI’s chief operating officer.
Season 2 coming soon!
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May 2, 2023 • 18 mins
The COVID-19 pandemic has faded, but health experts warm that future pandemics could occur. In terms of disinformation, what lessons have we learned from the past that can be applied to the future? Featuring Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, and CEO of Emergent Risk International Meredith Wilson.
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April 18, 2023 • 19 mins
Russia may be losing the public opinion battle in North America and Europe, but it has plenty of support elsewhere. Featuring Thea Gioe, Director of Training, Emergent Risk International; Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Emergent Risk International.
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April 4, 2023 • 16 mins
Disinformation — like reports of a White House bomb blast — can move billions of dollars on Wall Street. Or it can snarl your morning commute. And don’t think you’re immune to such trickery. Featuring Meredith Wilson, CEO of Emergent Risk International, Jimmy Peng, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore, and Jorie Craig, Head of Digital Integrity for the Institute of Strategic Dial...
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March 21, 2023 • 21 mins
How to stamp out—or at least dilute—the power and danger posed by disinformation? We'll go over the numerous ideas on the subject. Featuring Clare Melford, Chief Executive Officer of Global Disinformation Index, Megan Marelli, Editorial Director for Meedan, and Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Emergent Risk International
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March 7, 2023 • 20 mins
The disappearance of local newspapers around the United States over the past 20 years has created so-called “news deserts” - information vacuums that are being filled by peddlers of demagoguery and disinformation. Featuring the journalist who coined the phrase “pink slime” journalism Ryan Zickgraf , former Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Penny Muse Abernathy,...
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February 21, 2023 • 20 mins
His invasion of Ukraine one year ago floundered from the very beginning. But what about Putin’s disinformation efforts? In some parts of the world, his messages appears to have gained - to some degree - traction.
Special thanks to CIA Veteran John Sipher, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research Ellen McCarthy, special correspondent on Soviet affairs of The Wall Street Journal David Satter, an...
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