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From rumours and lies to real risk: equipping communities to resist dangerous disaster disinformation
During USA’s Hurricane Helene in 2024, Federal Emergency Management Agency staff working in North Carolina were threatened by householders with firearms because of what they were reading and hearing online. FEMA withdrew from NC – taking easy access to aid with it.
In Kerala in India in 2018, false reports during a major flood of uncontrolled dam releases caused people living downstream to evacuate into more dangerous areas. An unknown number of people died as a result.
Examples here so far are relatively ‘victimless’ – political parties banning backburning and preparation burns, serious fires being caused solely by arsonists, and that post-disaster aid is being ‘hoarded’ by relief agencies only for indigenous and immigrant survivors.
Over that time disinformation has increased in both quantity and the life-threatening severity of the claims. This can affect success of emergency efforts to protect and support communities - with terrible consequences.
My presentation looks at current research into disinformation in disasters (natural and otherwise) and investigates promising work that will help agencies get ahead of dangerous and false messaging that threatens the safety of communities. While debunking is the obvious way to deal with it – not only do agencies not have the resources for this activity, we know that fact checking after the message has escaped doesn’t work well.
Inoculation studies, however, have shown that people who are pre-warned about false messaging are able recognise and actively discredit that information. They then help with the whack-a-mole process of debunking anything that comes up.
This presentation will synthesise research and show AFAC delegates how disinformation peddlers manipulate people into believing and sharing false and malicious information. It will also show how agencies can support their affected communities to be resistant to rumours and lies, and equip them to chase false information out.
In Kerala in India in 2018, false reports during a major flood of uncontrolled dam releases caused people living downstream to evacuate into more dangerous areas. An unknown number of people died as a result.
Examples here so far are relatively ‘victimless’ – political parties banning backburning and preparation burns, serious fires being caused solely by arsonists, and that post-disaster aid is being ‘hoarded’ by relief agencies only for indigenous and immigrant survivors.
Over that time disinformation has increased in both quantity and the life-threatening severity of the claims. This can affect success of emergency efforts to protect and support communities - with terrible consequences.
My presentation looks at current research into disinformation in disasters (natural and otherwise) and investigates promising work that will help agencies get ahead of dangerous and false messaging that threatens the safety of communities. While debunking is the obvious way to deal with it – not only do agencies not have the resources for this activity, we know that fact checking after the message has escaped doesn’t work well.
Inoculation studies, however, have shown that people who are pre-warned about false messaging are able recognise and actively discredit that information. They then help with the whack-a-mole process of debunking anything that comes up.
This presentation will synthesise research and show AFAC delegates how disinformation peddlers manipulate people into believing and sharing false and malicious information. It will also show how agencies can support their affected communities to be resistant to rumours and lies, and equip them to chase false information out.
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