NEWSWATCH: “The Russian ‘Firehose of Falsehood’ Propaganda Model. Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It.” – The RAND Corporation
… there has been a remarkable evolution in Russia’s approach to propaganda … [with] new dissemination channels and messages in support of its 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula, its ongoing involvement in the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and its antagonism of NATO …. high-volume and multichannel, … it disseminates messages without regard for the truth. … rapid, continuous, and repetitive, and it lacks commitment to consistency. … research in psychology supports many of the most successful aspects of the model. Furthermore, the very factors that make the firehose of falsehood effective also make it difficult to counter. Traditional counterpropaganda approaches will likely be inadequate…. More effective solutions can be found in the same psychology literature ….
Forewarn audiences of misinformation, or merely reach them first with the truth … Prioritize efforts to counter the effects … focus on guiding the propaganda’s target audience in more productive directions. … Both the United States and NATO have the potential to prevent Russia from dominating the information environment. … and, in the context of active hostilities, attack the means of dissemination.