OPINION: Lies, damn lies and Vance: Republicans' spread of disinformation triggers threats

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance this month pushed a false narrative in the news media and then claimed it was the news media that was pushing false narratives. Make it make sense.

During last week's presidential debate, former President Donald Trump repeated Vance's claim that Haitian immigrants are eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. The falsehood sent the internet into a frenzy and led to threats of violence in Springfield.

A wave of bomb threats aimed at schools, hospitals and government offices left people in fear for their lives. Two universities moved to online classes to protect students and staff after receiving threats, including one about a planned mass shooting.

Not only did the city manager and the mayor denounce the claim about Haitian immigrants as illegitimate, but so did Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine .

But that still didn’t stop the threats. The spread of misinformation and disinformation seems uncontrollable on social media platforms, now more than ever.

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Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was fueled by disinformation

An attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, resulted in five people losing their lives . Conspiracy theories and false rhetoric involving the 2020 election led to the insurrection.

More than 2 million tweets were tracked using hashtags such as #stopthesteal, #stopthefraud and #marchfortrump from Jan. 3 to Jan. 12, 2021.

But the assault on the Capitol wasn’t the first violent incident driven by misinformation and disinformation.

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In 2016, the " Pizzagate " debacle led to Edgar Maddison Welch firing shots inside Comet Ping Pong, a restaurant in Washington, D.C. The attack was fueled by false posts on Reddit, Twitter and 4chan, a message board known for extreme content, claiming that a child sex trafficking ring was operating out of the pizza shop.

Welch drove from out of state with a rifle to carry out a violent act on a day when families were packedinside the restaurant. Although the rumor was debunked and Welch was charged, it didn’t stop the harassment of restaurant employees or the online hate speech following the incident.

The spread of misinformation and disinformation has grown at astronomical rates in recent years. According to Statista, 67% of Americans say fake news causes great confusion , and nearly 40% say they've accidentally shared fake news .

Social media helps drive disinformation

Algorithms, social media echo chambers and content created by artificial intelligence have increased the visibility of misinformation and violent rhetoric.

Speaking of misinformation, Mark Twain is often falsely credited with saying, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”

But the statement, no matter its original source, rings true in our digital media interactions today.

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Not only are people increasingly sharing baseless claims and fake news stories, but they are also sharing deep fake images that have lasting consequences for those who are falsely portrayed in the videos and photos. As digital citizens, we are aware that there is no anonymity online, but somehow we forget that while engaging in divisive and inappropriate discussions on social media and other platforms.

Children are watching our behavior online as they consume information. They often are unable to discern fact from fraud, increasing their susceptibility to disinformation. Many students don't receive media literacy training until high school . By then, they have been heavily immersed in social media and other news and information platforms.

Instead of Congress trying to ban TikTok , maybe the Department of Education should require media literacy training for all students, beginning in elementary school.

To decrease violence offline, we must reduce the sharing of hateful online rhetoric and disinformation. Our children deserve better, our neighbors deserve better and our nation deserves better.

Marla Bautista is a military fellow columnist at USA TODAY Opinion .

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page , on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OPINION: Lies, damn lies and Vance: Republicans' spread of disinformation triggers threats