07/06/2025
How to Fight (and Win) an Information War
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“In this new information war, it's not the truth or a lie that matters most — it’s whether people believe that anything is true at all.”
Peter Pomerantsev, an expert on propaganda and disinformation, shares insights into how authoritarian regimes weaponize information not by censoring, but by overloading and distorting it — creating confusion and distrust in truth itself. He argues that to win today’s information wars, democracies must adapt by protecting the integrity of the information environment.
🔄 From Censorship to Chaos:
Modern authoritarianism doesn’t silence voices — it floods the space with conflicting narratives.
The goal is not to make people believe a lie, but to make them doubt everything.
🧠 Propaganda 2.0:
Disinformation has shifted from promoting a single ideology to overwhelming the public with confusion.
It exploits emotional triggers and viral formats — memes, outrage, conspiracies — to spread distrust.
📺 Russia as a Model:
Russian state media uses high-quality production and contradictory stories to confuse rather than convince.
Pomerantsev draws from his own background (Soviet émigré family and media researcher) to explain how this evolved.
How to Fight Back:
🧰 1. Media Literacy:
Teach people how to spot manipulation, understand media logic, and think critically about sources.
🛠️ 2. Platform Accountability:
Demand transparency from tech companies about algorithms, content moderation, and monetization of disinformation.
✊ 3. Support Independent Journalism:
Ensure journalists can investigate freely and ethically — and are visible in the information ecosystem.
🌍 4. Reclaim Shared Realities:
Promote narratives that unite and inform, rather than divide and confuse. Build trust in facts and institutions.
Winning an information war isn’t just about correcting lies — it’s about defending the very idea of truth. In the face of weaponized narratives, societies must build resilient, pluralistic, and trustworthy systems of information.
