Communities of Color Have Become Prime Targets as Disinformation Threatens the 2024 Election Cycle

As the 2024 election approaches, community organizations are gearing up to confront an expected surge in disinformation campaigns aimed directly at communities of color and immigrant populations, according to a report from NBC News. Advocates emphasize that these carefully crafted misinformation efforts challenge long-held assumptions about vulnerable voters and pose a grave threat to the integrity of U.S. voting processes.

Leading up to the 2020 election, social media platforms were inundated with baseless claims targeting Latino and Asian American voters, including false portrayals of Joe Biden as a communist. These campaigns also propagated unfounded allegations, such as a Black Lives Matter co-founder practicing witchcraft and doctored images showing dogs urinating on Donald Trump campaign posters. Although these claims were debunked, they had a significant impact, spreading election-related misinformation within communities of color.

Tailored disinformation campaigns targeting communities of color are adept at addressing issues that hold significant importance for each specific group. Immigrants hailing from authoritarian regimes, for instance, may find themselves susceptible to misinformation that propagates claims of U.S. politicians plotting to transform the nation into a socialist state. Likewise, individuals originating from countries lacking recent free and fair elections might harbor an inherent distrust of authority, rendering them more susceptible to misinformation campaigns.

In addition to these susceptibilities, language barriers and a lack of familiarity with the U.S. media landscape pose significant challenges. Immigrants often depend on translated material for vital voting information, creating a vulnerable space for malevolent actors to disseminate deceptive narratives. Mistranslations can also exacerbate these troubles, per misinformation experts who spoke to the news outlet.

These experts are urging heightened vigilance to combat disinformation and protect communities of color from misleading information. They stress the importance of promoting credible U.S. news sources and educating vulnerable communities on detecting misinformation.