2026 Iran-Gulf Crisis Tracker
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Propaganda & information warfare

How to avoid becoming a propaganda amplifier

The single most effective contribution most readers can make to a healthier information environment is to forward less, slower.

Wait

Most propagandistic claims that go viral in the first hour are corrected within twenty-four. Waiting before sharing — even for a few hours — filters out a significant share of bad material.

Source up, not down

If a viral post is making a strong claim, find a named source. If you cannot find a named source, do not redistribute the post. "A friend on Twitter said" is not a source.

Notice your own framing buttons

Propaganda works partly by activating identity. Notice when a story makes you feel strongly aligned with one side; that is exactly the moment to slow down and apply the same checks you would apply to a story for the other side.

Correct visibly

If you redistributed something that turned out to be wrong, post the correction with the same visibility as the original. Quiet deletion is its own form of misinformation.

Related glossary terms

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