Barack Obama

2022 - 8 - 18

PolitiFact - Obama was warning about disinformation, not endorsing it (PolitiFact)

A speech about the dangers of disinformation that former President Barack Obama gave at Stanford University on April 21,

[shared](https://www.tiktok.com/@irwin59/video/7097300229636148526) more than 3,800 times just on that platform, and has more recently been [shared](https://web.archive.org/web/20220817185808/https://twitter.com/ReflectionsV2/status/1558356275666231297) on Twitter. [One user](https://web.archive.org/web/20220817185213/https://twitter.com/Yolo304741/status/1558888961925324802) who shared the video has more than 63,000 followers. And as Putin discovered leading up to the 2016 election, our own social media platforms are well designed to support such a mission, such a project." Obama wasn’t extolling disinformation’s virtues, but rather warning about its dangers and calling for governments and tech companies to better protect democracy. You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. And of course, autocrats like Putin have used these platforms as a strategic weapon against democratic countries that they consider a threat. [‘Regulation has to be part of the answer’ to combating online disinformation, Barack Obama said at Stanford event](https://news.stanford.edu/2022/04/21/disinformation-weakening-democracy-barack-obama-said/)," April 21, 2022 You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing that citizens no longer know what to believe. [Challenges to Democracy in the Digital Information Realm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrMMiDXspYo)," April 21, 2022 [show](https://www.tiktok.com/@cypher.punks/video/7105317048351345925?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7105317048351345925) Obama [saying](https://www.tiktok.com/@cypher.punks/video/7105317048351345925?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7105317048351345925) the same line. [video](https://www.tiktok.com/@americanmoutsos/video/7092455837360196910?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7092455837360196910), April 30, 2022 "You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage.

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Image courtesy of "Paradise - News"

TikTok posts - Obama was warning about disinformation, not ... (Paradise - News)

A speech about the dangers of disinformation that former President Barack Obama gave at Stanford University on April 21, 2022, is being used months later ...

You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing that citizens no longer know what to believe. And as Putin discovered leading up to the 2016 election, our own social media platforms are well designed to support such a mission, such a project.” Obama wasn’t extolling disinformation’s virtues, but rather warning about its dangers and calling for governments and tech companies to better protect democracy. “You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. And of course, autocrats like Putin have used these platforms as a strategic weapon against democratic countries that they consider a threat.

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Image courtesy of "Forbes"

How Comedian Adam Conover Made A Netflix Show With President ... (Forbes)

I spoke with Adam Conover about his new show on Netflix, The G Word, and his experience working with former President Obama. We also chatted about what his ...

The segment debunking GPS technology is an example of how Conover and his team expanded on Lewis’ book. [increase people’s capacity to remember and share it](https://academic.oup.com/joc/article-abstract/71/1/129/6044121?redirectedFrom=fulltext), which is exactly what Conover did with The G Word. It felt like the treat itself and I can’t wait to see what Conover does with his career next. He also encouraged his team to ask: "What's one thing the government does that we don't know about?" We’re not sneaking in the information, it’s just entertaining to learn.” He told me, “They knew I was a fair dealer when it comes to my ideas and that I don’t mince words. Conover politely navigated through the feedback, while staying true to his initial intentions. At the time, Conover told his manager, “I have very clear ideas about what I would do with that material.” At the end of their conversation, Conover told him, “Well, respectfully, we disagree with your analysis.” “I think a lot of people across the political spectrum would say that America’s drone strike program has been disastrous,” Conover said. In 2015, Conover created [Adam Ruins Everything](https://www.trutv.com/shows/adam-ruins-everything), which was one of the first shows to blend humor with investigative journalism to debunk misconceptions about topics we routinely take for granted. I don’t know if I entirely agree with this, but hey take it or leave it.’ Honestly, we left most of his comments because a lot of them were either not actionable, or we disagreed with them on the merits.”

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