(The Center Square) – The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump left many in the political sphere pointing fingers and shifting blame.
And, despite a universal call to turn down the heated rhetoric, sorting through misinformation and political vitriol has become no less simple in the weeks since, said Laura Grace, director of programs for Common Ground USA.
In a recent interview with The Center Square, Grace elaborated on the organization’s mission to educate voters about media literacy and how to discuss opposing ideas thoughtfully.
She said studies show that real-life engagement with friends, family, coworkers, and community members has the greatest impact. Even taking small steps to engage someone with different views can be uncomfortable, but it’s the most effective way and worth the effort, Grace added.
“I think there’s a lot that anyone can do to flex their muscles and be a better consumer of information – part of that is getting out of our own news bubbles,” she said.
Grace encouraged voters to follow the same story across different media outlets to better spot biased narratives. Reliably identifying artificially generated content on social media and ignoring it rather than sharing it also makes a difference.
The problem isn’t lost on elected officials, either; artificially generated impersonations of political candidates may soon violate state law. Bills pending in both chambers of the Legislature would leave campaigns liable in civil court for unauthorized media content that negatively influences an election.
The issue has drawn attention across the country as federal regulators weigh new limits for generative AI technology.
For now, 14 states have enacted resolutions and pursued new laws targeting deep fakes. One such state, New Hampshire, made headlines before its Jan. 23 primary election after a robocall featuring the voice of President Joe Biden told residents to stay home and save their votes for the November general election.
