de Steven Brill
"A precise description of the punishment cell we have built around our minds and the first few steps back towards light and air." –Timothy Snyder, Author of On Tyranny and Professor of History, Yale University
“A seminal, ground-breaking, documented and honest examination of two of the central dilemmas of our time—what is truth and where to find it.” —Bob Woodward, associate editor at The Washington Post
As the cofounder of NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation, Steven Brill has observed the rise of fake news from a front-row seat. In The Death of Truth, with startling, often terrifying clarity, he explains how we got here—and how we can get back to a world where truth matters.
None of this—conspiracy theories embraced, expertise ridiculed, empirical evidence ignored—has happened by accident. Brill takes us inside the decisions made by executives in Silicon Valley to code the algorithms embedded in their social media platforms to maximize profits by pushing divisive content. He unravels the ingenious creation of automated advertising buying systems that reward that click-baiting content and penalize reliable news publishers, and describes how the use of these ad-financed, misinformation platforms by politicians, hucksters, and conspiracy theorists deceives ordinary citizens. He documents how the most powerful adversaries of America have used American-made social media and advertising tools against us with massive disinformation campaigns—and how, with the development of generative artificial intelligence, everything could get exponentially worse unless we act. The stakes are high for all of us, including Brill himself, whose company's role in exposing Russian disinformation operations resulted in a Russian agent targeting him and his family.
Crucially, Brill lays out a series of provocative but realistic prescriptions for what we can do now to reverse course—proposals certain to stir debate and even action that could curb the power of big tech to profit from division and chaos, tamp down polarization, and restore the trust necessary to bring us together.
"A precise description of the punishment cell we have built around our minds and the first few steps back towards light and air." –Timothy Snyder, Author of On Tyranny and Professor of History, Yale University
“A seminal, ground-breaking, documented and honest examination of two of the central dilemmas of our time—what is truth and where to find it.” —Bob Woodward, associate editor at The Washington Post
As the cofounder of NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation, Steven Brill has observed the rise of fake news from a front-row seat. In The Death of Truth, with startling, often terrifying clarity, he explains how we got here—and how we can get back to a world where truth matters.
None of this—conspiracy theories embraced, expertise ridiculed, empirical evidence ignored—has happened by accident. Brill takes us inside the decisions made by executives in Silicon Valley to code the algorithms embedded in their social media platforms to maximize profits by pushing divisive content. He unravels the ingenious creation of automated advertising buying systems that reward that click-baiting content and penalize reliable news publishers, and describes how the use of these ad-financed, misinformation platforms by politicians, hucksters, and conspiracy theorists deceives ordinary citizens. He documents how the most powerful adversaries of America have used American-made social media and advertising tools against us with massive disinformation campaigns—and how, with the development of generative artificial intelligence, everything could get exponentially worse unless we act. The stakes are high for all of us, including Brill himself, whose company's role in exposing Russian disinformation operations resulted in a Russian agent targeting him and his family.
Crucially, Brill lays out a series of provocative but realistic prescriptions for what we can do now to reverse course—proposals certain to stir debate and even action that could curb the power of big tech to profit from division and chaos, tamp down polarization, and restore the trust necessary to bring us together.
Critiques-
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May 1, 2024
A deep dive into the muck of fake news. In the latest book in a growing genre, journalist Brill, author of The Teamsters and America's Bitter Pill, examines the "toxic mix" of misinformation, disinformation, myths, alternative "facts," and conspiracy theories that have proliferated online, leading to a lack of belief in shared truths, distrust in the legitimacy of science and expertise, and an erosion of our sense of community. He traces the current chaos to Section 230, a 1995 law allowing internet providers to police their own platforms and granting them immunity over content, no matter how ill informed or harmful. Although the intent of the law was "to maintain the robust nature of Internet communication," Brill gives ample evidence to prove that, instead, it vastly undermined truth. In 2018, he and Gordon Crovitz founded NewsGuard to rate the trustworthiness of the most-visited sites, using criteria such as transparency of ownership and correction of mistakes. Although providers said that they supported the effort, Brill and Crovitz realized they had been na�ve and clueless: "The problem," Brill sees, "was their business plan," which was to encourage engagement on their sites. Sensational, angry, polemic content drives engagement and therefore attracts advertising money. Because of the layers of people involved in placing ads, the companies advertised don't know where their ads appear, so they end up supporting toxic sites that promote mis- and disinformation. While providers hired dedicated employees to staff their trust and safety teams, Brill found them to be "marginal mitigators" at best. Underscoring the acute need for reform, the author offers suggestions, including amending Section 230 to account for dangerous algorithms, ending online anonymity, directing the Federal Trade Commission to enforce providers' contracts with users to protect them from harmful content, and bolstering online news and information literacy for K-12 students. A brisk, well-informed, and urgent message.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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May 1, 2024
Brill's (Tailspin, 2018) premise is that a large portion of the blame for the current divisiveness in American politics and social discourse rests on the shoulders of social media. Because of the ubiquity of social media, because it is so efficient at promulgating disinformation and hostility, and because so many people wrap themselves in the resultant echo chambers, it becomes far too easy to be swept up by conspiracy theories or outright lies. Brill goes to great lengths to provide verifiable evidence of this phenomenon, as well as its consequences. Having identified the problem, Brill then offers a number of approaches to deal with it. Many of these proposed solutions would prove highly controversial, as they would entail drastically ramping up regulation and enforcement on the federal level. Clearly this would not sit well with those--particularly the social media operators--who want to keep the Internet as free from governmental interference as possible. But Brill makes a cogent case. Those with a vested interest in the social media landscape and its impact on society will find Brill's argument compelling.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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June 1, 2024
With the rise of the internet, social media, and generative artificial intelligence, many people have been losing trust in traditional media and institutions. But they're turning to insular sources rife with misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. NewsGuard cofounder/co-CEO Brill (Tailspin) theorizes that technology and Silicon Valley execs are, in part, driving this division and overtaking the American political and cultural landscape by coding insidious algorithms that generate large amounts of information--often questionable, contentious, and just plain false--at a rapid pace. He argues that doing this garners more clicks and views, which, in turn, increases advertising revenue. There's no government oversight to combat the false information found on many social media platforms either. Brill says the way the laws are currently written actually prevents companies from being held accountable. He calls for legislative and citizen-driven remedies. The book includes a chapter plugging the author's paid service that rates online news and information sites, which may be off-putting to readers looking for standard vetting criteria. VERDICT A sound and valuable thesis with many insights for readers interested in improving information literacy and returning to a pre-fake news era.--Donna Marie Smith
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
