The study highlights that Trump has drawn on the functions of domestic political forces, rather than foreign state actors, as the main source of disinformation narratives in US political discourse.
“US President Donald Trump was the dominant source and distributor of disinformation” in 2024, say the authors of the study “Disarming Disinformation: United States”.
The study highlights that Trump resorted to functions of domestic political forcesrather than foreign state actors, as the main source of disinformation narratives in US political discourse.
Furthermore, the existence of WhatsA groupspp and other closed digital spaces they often act as “information cocoons” that fuel rumors and other forms of misinformation.
In this way, “the viral spread of disinformation and the strategic attack on journalists have emerged as interconnected threats to democracy. In an era of increasing authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, falsehoods are often weaponized by state actors to influence public opinion, undermine journalism and intimidate journalists.”
The authors of the study state that these factors are increasingly the North American reality, with Donald Trump “promulgate manifestly false narratives” in recent years.
“The American media faces a profound information crisis, at a time of repression of freedom of expression”, the study reads.
In this sense, trust in the mainstream press continues to decline in a climate of increasing attacks on the media by the Trump Government.
Around 86% of those interviewed say they have seen or heard journalists being harassed or abused online, which indicates a broad visibility and normalization of attacks on the press.
“This moment demands not only journalistic integrity and innovative responses to these emerging threats, but also a clear understanding of how misinformation spreads in the media ecosystem,” says the study.
The study published by was based on the analysis of 10,000 news and media publications during 2024, as well as a survey of 1,020 Americans.
