Disinformation 101: Purposely Placed Information to Cause Harm, Disruption, Distrust, and Chaos

Purpose: Gain & Keep Total Control Over People

This “new” GOP is once again employing political tactics that mirror Russia’s old-time fav: Massive disinformation.

We see and hear it now via FOX (Carlson, Hannity, Ingraham, et al), on RW Talk Radio, over whacky one-line sites, and basically across all GOP la-la land. Simply put, the GOP-related craziness are afoot across America.

Their basic goal is to stain President Biden or any DEM in sight anywhere anyway possible. They throw their wild crap on the table, or sling it on the wall, hoping it sticks for their base to lap it up – and boy oh boy, do they. Right now, much the entire GOP is feet planted in the QAnon twilight zone.

The latest disinformation campaign is reported on here from The AP with this headline that mirrors Russia’s latest chaotic ploy:

“Russia’s bioweapon conspiracy theory finds support in U.S.”

Russia’s baseless claims about secret American biological warfare labs in Ukraine are taking root in the U.S. uniting COVID-19 and a ton of other conspiracies as I said spread by QAnon, supporters of Trump, on FOX, or anywhere else a loose screw will see or hear it and then repeat it, or copy and post it on-line. 

Despite rebuttals from independent scientists, Ukrainian leaders, officials in the White House, and in the Pentagon, the online popularity of that claim suggests some Americans are willing to trust Kremlin propaganda over the facts and truth from U.S. and many other valid reputable sources.

Like any effective conspiracy theory, the Russian claim relies on some bits of truth for example: Yes, Ukraine does maintain a network of biological labs – mostly dedicated to research into pathogens, and those labs have received funding and research support from the U.S.

But the labs are owned and operated by Ukraine, and their work is not secret pretty much like labs across the globe doing such research.

The labs are part of the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) that aims to reduce the likelihood of deadly outbreaks, whether natural or manmade.

Two recent and related stories to this subject are here first from Newsweek and here second as a follow-up to the first also from Newsweek.

The U.S. effort in that endeavor dates back to work in the 1990’s aimed at dismantling the former USSR’s massive program for WMD (weapons of mass destruction).

Filippa Lentzos, a senior lecturer in science and international security at King’s College London said in an email to the AP: “The labs are not secret. They are not being used in relation to bioweapons. This is all disinformation.”

But that fact has not stopped these two morons: 

Television pundit and Fox News host Tucker Carlson devoted two segments on his show to promote the conspiracy theory. 

I Can’t Figure Out Putin or His Stinky Eye

Then Trump Jr. said conspiracy theories around the labs were proven to be a fact in a tweet to his 7.3 million followers.

This classic Russian disinformation 101:

The White House warned this week that the Kremlin’s latest conspiracy theory could be a prelude to a chemical or biological attack that Russia would blame on the U.S. or Ukraine, just like they did in Syria that killed hundreds including children.

The Director of National Intelligence (O/DNI) Avril Haines told a Senate Intelligence Committee recently: “Frankly, this influence campaign is completely consistent with longstanding Russian efforts to accuse the United States of sponsoring bioweapons work in the former Soviet Union. This is a classic move by the Russians.”

Milton Leitenberg, arms control expert and senior research associate at the Center for International & Security Studies at the Univ. of MD said Russia has a long history of disinformation, e.g., in the 1980’s they spread a conspiracy that the U.S. had created HIV in a lab. 

This conspiracy theory also has been picked up by Chinese state media, and further amplified by China’s Foreign Ministry, which repeated Russia’s claim and called for an investigation.

My FYI for the readers: Know the difference between misinformation and disinformation:

Misinformation: Information made or placed by a simple mistake not covertly, and not with malice, intent, or definite purpose.

vs

Disinformation: Information purposely placed with the full intent to cause harm, disruption, distrust, and chaos. In modern times it is used to covertly disrupt or topple established governments, competing political systems around the globe for self-interests and for political, military, financial, or more devious purposes.

“Disinformation” is the English transliteration of the Russian word: дезинформация which itself was derived from the former KGB’s “Black Propaganda Department.” 

That handbook documents how Joseph Stalin coined the term, even giving it a French-sounding name and falsely claiming it had Western origin, that being a false statement itself.

Precise Russian use of the word began in the now defunct USSR’s “Special Disinformation Office” in 1923.

Also, Operation INFEKTION (Op Infection) was an old Soviet disinformation campaign to influence opinion that said the U.S. had invented and spread AIDS.

Ironically, the U.S. did not actively counter Soviet disinformation until around 1980, when a fake document said the U.S. supported apartheid and that moved the U.S. into counter-action.

Russia said this photo was “staged - not real”

From Newsweek photos here

(Woman and her baby both died)

Now for Donald J. Trump: He has mastered both angles his whole adult life. He knows the differences between the two even though in most cases his loyalists may or may not.

Trump thrives on supporters for their loyalty coupled with their ignorance and trust about his lies, deceit, and “fake news label” for mainstream media (but not for FOX), or his string of insulting personal labels, all the while accusing others of that very same technique intending to deflect it all away from himself. That is his skill and talent, but in a very dangerous and destructive way that most Trump loyalists don't care about. That is the most-dangerous and growing part we see a lot of today (e.g., January 6). I doubt many around Trump in the broad GOP circle, or among those loyal to him even see that point, or if they do, they don’t care.

My 2 Cents: This latest disinformation ploy is total BS. It has been verified and tossed aside by so many sources that I've lost count. So, how many bio warfare labs are there in Ukraine: None, nada, nil, zero, zilch, zip, goose egg!!!

In my view, FOX and most of of this “new” Trump-run GOP are now joined with Russia at the lip.

Why do so many people fall for those lies – simple: Just look at Hitler’s “Big Lie” about the Jews and Germany not losing WWI, and now with Trump’s “Big Lie” that he won and Biden lost in the 2020 election because it was rigged against him. 

He repeats that practically every single day with one purpose to get people to believe it. 

Thus, tell a lie long enough and it will stick – that is disinformation 101, Chapter One.

Thanks for stopping by.