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DATE: 12/14/2020
FROM: Travis Herbek
SUBJECT: The Importance of Effective Communication to Combat ‘Disinformation’

Contemporary law enforcement leaders face a new challenge in their efforts to provide

information to the public and maintain public trust, the rise of disinformation. Disinformation

can be defined any communication that contains false or misleading material which seeks to

manipulate its audience. Disinformation can be entirely false, or it can contain true information,

which helps it appear credible to its consumer. The concept has also been referred to as

misinformation or by slang terms, such as ‘fake news’. The RAND Research Center has studied

disinformation as part of a greater trend, which they refer to as “truth decay” (Kavanagh ix).

Jimmy Holderfield, the national secretary for the Fraternal Order of Police, calls the spread of

disinformation a “national issue right now” and “something that needs to be addressed”

(McGinnis 2020).

One of the main drivers of truth decay or disinformation is the occurring changes to our

traditional information systems. Communities have increasingly been turning to the Internet as

source of news. Online social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, have been

instrumental to this growth. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center in 2019, 77% of

American adults claim the Internet is important in how they get their local news and 37% go as

far to say they prefer to get their local news from online sources (Geiger 2019). In 2018, nearly

20% of Americans claim to get their news often from social media websites compared to 16%

from printed newspapers (Geiger 2019). However, social media “drastically increases the

volume and speed of information flow, as well as the relative volume of opinion over fact”,

which contributes to the spread of disinformation (Kavanagh xiv). Social media websites are no
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longer fringe or new age technology, as their consumption as a news source is eclipsing

‘traditional’ sources such as print newspapers. However, traditional media sources have also

been contributing to the spread of disinformation. Newspapers and broadcasting companies have

become increasingly partisan and focused on profits and have shifted to a 24-hour news cycle

(Kavanagh xiv). The demands of an around the clock news cycle increase pressures on

traditional media sources to not conduct through vetting of information, in a ‘race’ to carry

breaking news.

Also contributing to the issue is the idea that law enforcement leaders themselves can be

susceptible to consuming and spreading disinformation, as they are not immune to its influence.

Law enforcement leaders are similar to political figures and as is the case with elected county

Sheriffs, the sense is literal. While there is no clear evidence that there has been a change in the

truthfulness of political figures, it is entirely possible that their misstatements or

misrepresentations of the facts have greater influence now then ever before due to the

aforementioned change in information systems (Kavanagh 183).

The challenge of disinformation also comes at a critical time, as public trust in law

enforcement has seen a decline. The percentage of American adults reporting that they have a

“great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in law enforcement decreased in 2019 to 53%,

according to a poll collected by Gallup (James 2). Perhaps most concerning is when adjusted for

the age group between 18 and 34 years old, the figure drops to 39% (James 3). It could be

considered likely that expressed confidence in law enforcement can be expected to decline even

further in 2020 when the effects of the recent nationwide movement against police practices

influence the poll.

Examples of the influence of disinformation range from nationwide activist movements

to disruptions in operations for small size agencies. One such high profile example is the origins

of the “hands up, don’t shoot” rally cry, which was used by activists following the police

shooting of Michael Brown that occurred in Ferguson, MO in the August of 2014. Following the

shooting, disinformation spread wildly that Michael Brown had his hands up in the air in

surrender prior to being killed by Officer Darren Wilson. This idea ignited the community of

Ferguson, which already had tensions with local law enforcement. This motivated the spread of

similar demonstrations throughout the United States. However, during an investigation

conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice into the shooting, investigators tracked down

several of the individuals who had claimed to witness Brown with his hands up in surrender.

During the investigative interviews, all these witnesses “acknowledged that they did not actually

witness the shooting, but rather repeated what others told them” (Lee 2015).

Disinformation can also affect individual agencies, as detailed by Chief John Fine of the

Burlington City Police Department in New Jersey; a small agency of approximately 33 officers.

Chief Fine has reported that in 2018, his officers first became alarmed by false reports trending

on social media. In response to police cars parked at a local gas station, social media posts

falsely reported that a police-involved shooting had occurred. Later in the year, false stories

became worse such as the social media allegations in November that Burlington City police had

shot a ten-year-old child. Both instances were untrue, but as Chief Fine referred to the effects of

the disinformation on his agency, “perception is reality” (McGinnis 2020). In response, Chief

Fine’s department has now assigned officers to constantly monitor social media.

While some social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have made

commitments to combating posts containing disinformation on their websites, law enforcement

leaders need to be sure to make their own independent efforts to stop its spread, much like Chief

Fine has done. There is a myriad of best practices in which they can focus these efforts on, and

they will need to be selective in finding a solution or set of solutions that works best for their

individual agency. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describes approaches to

countering false information that can be focused on people, processes, or technology. When

addressing the people side of the issue, the DHS recommends establishing sound relationships

with traditional media sources, training first responders in recognizing and responding to

disinformation, and leveraging trusted influencers to disseminate rumor corrections (DHS 15).

Leaders can fine tune their processes of information dissemination by pre-preparing visual aids,

actively correcting rumors online, and leveraging online tools such as hashtags to control

information flow (DHS 16). Law enforcement can also leverage the advancements of technology

as whole by using the live streaming capabilities of YouTube or by simply setting up a central

website with links to all available information on an incident (DHS 17).

The increasing occurrence of disinformation, both accidental and malicious, poses a

serious challenge for public safety agencies. Changes in information systems and the speeds in

which we can disseminate information are giving disinformation the ideal conditions to infect the

public with rumors and mistrust. As Chief Fine remarked, “the need and drive for information is

much greater than it was 15 years ago.” (McGinnis 2020). Modern law enforcement leaders must

recognize that regardless of physical size or jurisdictional scope, their agency is susceptible to

the effects of disinformation, which can occur at any scale. They can no longer rely on their

traditional approaches to ‘wait out’ or offer ‘no comment’ in response to rumor. It is time that

leaders incorporate strategies to actively combat disinformation in their communication plans to

ensure the physical safety of their communities and the continued public trust of those in their

command.
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References:

Department of Homeland Security. (2018, March). Countering False Information on Social

Media in Disasters and Emergencies.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/SMWG_Countering-False-Info-Social-
Media-Disasters-Emergencies_Mar2018-508.pdf

Geiger, A.W. (2019, September 11). Key findings about the online news landscape in America.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/11/key-findings-about-the-online-news-

landscape-in-america/

James, Nathan et. al. (2020, July 13). Public Trust and Law Enforcement – A Discussion for

Policymakers

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43904.pdf

Kavanagh, Jennifer & Rich, Michael. (2018). Truth Decay. An Initial Exploration of the

Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2314.html

Lee, Michelle Ye Hee. (2015, March 19). ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ did not happen in Ferguson.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/19/hands-up-dont-shoot-did-

not-happen-in-ferguson/

McGinnis, James. (2020, January 12). How fake news is threatening public safety, police officers

https://www.goerie.com/news/20200112/how-fake-news-is-threatening-public-safety-police-

officers/1