Let's Learn from Leading Democracies
FRANCES MOORE LAPPE for Common Dreams
A 2022 Gallup poll found
that less than 30 percent of us have "a great deal (or quite a lot) of
confidence in U.S. institutions," and that's "as low as it has ever
been." Among 16 institutions tested, 11 registered decline. And the
steepest drop? Trust in the presidency "fell off a cliff," reported CNN. Eight
in 10 of us believe our democracy is threatened.
On trust in government, we now rank 26th worldwide between Greece and
Hungary.
Such findings are ominous, for the very bedrock of democracy is
trust—including trust that political and economic rules are fair so that our
voices are heard. And it's hard to imagine many of us feel heard when wealth
and income continue gushing to the top, generating economic inequality roughly
on par with Haiti's and more extreme than in 121 countries. Plus, most of us express reluctance to share
our views for fear of offending others.
How many among us would choose this path?
At the same time we experience concentrated private power undermining our wellbeing, as, for example, fossil fuel giants use their vast profits to thwart action on our climate emergency.
All the above is made more threatening by the spreading
disinformation disease. It pits citizens against each other and distracts us
from focusing on underlying economic unfairness and undemocratic rules, including
those suppressing the
vote.
"Fake news" has been harming people for centuries,
scholars tell us. But in today's instant-info world, disinformation—a nice word
for "lies"—is literally killing us. Four in ten Americans still
believe the 2020 "stolen election" lie that triggered an
unprecedented insurrection attempt and death.
If you are among this 40 percent, check out reporting by
the Heritage Foundation. Considered a conservative
center, it has long tracked voter fraud, and our analysis of its
data reveals no significant problem.
Our legal system typically limits "freedom of speech"
only in cases of libel and defamation—regardless of potential for wider social
harm. If this interpretation holds, it is frightening: In November, for
example, California lawyers defending
doctors "spreading false information about Covid-19 vaccines and
treatments" argued their clients' free speech rights were being violated.
Around the world, however, a range of democratic nations are
taking a nuanced, citizen-driven approach to combat disinformation.
To guard their citizens' free speech rights as well as protect against dangerous lies, some are creating transparent public processes, which evolve in response to experience.
In Crisis of Trust: How Can
Democracies Protect Against Dangerous Lies, a report just
released by Cambridge-based Small Planet Institute, we share highlights of five
national efforts—New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, and Sweden.
New Zealand's approach seems especially useful, as it has been
evolving over decades. Note that in the quality of its democracy the
country ranks fourth worldwide,
according to Freedom House, founded by Eleanor Roosevelt
and colleagues in 1941. And the US? We come in a sad 62nd.
Since 1989 the New Zealand Broadcast
Standards Authority (BSA) has offered a transparent, public
platform in which citizens can flag what they believe to be dangerous
disinformation. Hate speech is also covered, as the country strives to protect
the interests of its Māori people. An independent board then investigates. If
it deems the material both false and harmful, the offending media must be
removed or corrected. Complaints and decisions are visible to all on the BSA
website.
Overall, the agency appears to exercise caution, requiring
removal or correction in response to about 7 percent of complaints. An example
of the BSA's action? A daytime entertainment program airing false Covid
information was required to provide correct
information in the same program at a similar time of day.
Initiatives of several highly ranked democracies to counter
disinformation reflect alarm not primarily about a single lie that could cause
great harm—although our own "stolen election" lie certainly
qualifies. Rather, they focus on the drip, drip, drip of false messages in our
media-saturated lives.
So, is it possible to turn the tide toward truthful exchange?
Yes, if we take immediate responsibility as well as carefully embrace long-term
strategies.
We can each resist directly; and in taking on this challenge the Global Disinformation Index is a helpful tool. As a society we can learn from specific strategies of nations, such as those mentioned above, protecting freedom-of-speech while creating guardrails against disinformation's poison.
Long-term solutions, however, require our
building a more accountable democracy generating greater economic and political
equity so that Americans feel trust in government is warranted and are less
susceptible to lies.
May the shock of registering our true standing, as well as
inspiration and practical lessons from highly regarded democracies, motivate
courageous action here.
FRANCES MOORE LAPPE is the author of nineteen books, beginning with the acclaimed "Diet for a Small Planet." Most recently she is the co-author, with Adam Eichen, of the new book, "Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want." Among her numerous previous books are "EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think to Create the World We Want" (Nation Books) and "Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life." She is co-founder of the Cambridge, Mass.-based Small Planet Institute.