Name: How to fight (and win) an information war
Uploaded: 2024-10-10T14:47:02Z
Duration: 16 min 50 s
Description: How do you reach people trapped in a reality shaped by propaganda? Exploring the dark psychology of disinformation, author and academic Peter Pomerantsev draws on lessons from a forgotten World War II operation to suggest strategies for cutting through misinformation and rebuilding trust in facts today.

Peter Pomerantsev: How to fight (and win) an information war

How to fight (and win) an information war

How do you reach people trapped in a reality shaped by propaganda? Exploring the dark psychology of disinformation, author and academic Peter Pomerantsev draws on lessons from a forgotten World War II operation to suggest strategies for cutting through misinformation and rebuilding trust in facts today.


Escaping propaganda’s grip demands more than fact-checking or preaching to the choir. Drawing on a covert World War II effort that subverted Nazi radio, the talk reveals that strong emotions, not just logic, drive belief. As seen with Russians denying the Bucha massacre and millions in the US clinging to election conspiracies, emotional and communal bonds outmuscle facts alone. By harnessing visceral storytelling and building alternative communities, it becomes possible to break through even the most hardened disinformation bubbles.