Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying America

Pod Save America cohost Pfeiffer (Un-Trumping America) takes a punchy look at “how disinformation and propaganda became the dominant Republican political strategy, how it works, what it means, and how Democrats can fight back.” Focusing on recent history, Pfeiffer discusses Russia’s disinformation campaign to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election; Trump’s allegations of “fake news” against CNN, the New York Times, and other mainstream outlets; Republicans’ embrace of climate change denialism and the conspiracy theory that President Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.; the decline of local news; and Trump’s efforts to downplay the dangers of Covid-19 by attacking the credibility of Anthony Fauci and other public health experts. Pfeiffer also documents how a group founded by a “Trump-supporting dirty trickster” targeted Black voters with false claims that people who voted by mail in the 2020 election “would have their information shared with law enforcement and collection agencies seeking warrants and unpaid debts.” To combat Republican propaganda, Pfeiffer encourages progressives to promote positive ideas and organizations on social media, rather than launching into counterattacks that only serve to spread disinformation. Though Pfeiffer’s sarcasm and mocking tone can grate, he makes lucid and persuasive arguments. Progressives will relish this fiery call to arms. (June)