Module 3: How to Push Back on Disinformation

If these front groups and other third-party validators were merely making fact-based arguments against your organization’s clean air and climate goals, that would be one thing. But more often than not, they are deploying disinformation and trying to undermine the public’s and policymakers’ understanding of the threats caused by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Just as Big Oil borrowed from the tobacco industry’s playbook on messengers (as discussed in depth above), they also rely on the same playbook to craft a message: one that questions the science, cherry-picks or ignores facts, and creates just enough doubt about the benefits of clean air and climate policies to forestall policy progress.

In this module, we’ll dive into the industry’s use of disinformation, and we’ll go through strategies for combating it with authentic community voices.

Mythbusting 101: Debunking Disinformation

Misinformation vs. Disinformation

Dr. John Cook77, one of the world’s leading experts on debunking disinformation, explains: “Misinformation is false information that is spread either by mistake or with intent to mislead. When there is intent to mislead, it is called disinformation. Misinformation has the potential to cause substantial harm to individuals and society.”to individuals and society.”

Disinformation is dangerous.

An authoritative resource about debunking misinformation already exists. The Debunking Handbook: 202078 is an updated version of the groundbreaking social psychology research by Dr. John Cook and Dr. Stephan Lewandowsky. It should be read in full, as no better resource exists for understanding and debunking misinformation in all its forms. I

t is scientifically rigorous and reflects the best current consensus on how misinformation affects the human mind and social psychology, and it includes the best tactics for inoculating against misinformation and debunking misleading information.

Download The Debunking Handbook here79, or make your way through their four-part blog series80 featuring the most important research findings and expert advice on debunking misinformation.

Part 1:

• Misinformation can do damage

• Where does misinformation come from?

• Misinformation can be sticky

• Sticky myths leave other marks

Part 2:

• Prevent misinformation from sticking if you can

• Simple steps to greater media literacy

• The strategic map of debunking

• Who should debunk?

Part 3:

• The elusive backfire effects

• Role of worldview in belief confirmation

Part 4:

• Debunk often and properly

• Collective action: Debunking on social media

Pushing Back with True Community Voices

We learned about the importance of media literacy, the power of using communications strategy in community advocacy, how to research your opposition, and the threat of misinformation and disinformation. As people who are directly impacted by the fossil fuel industry’s current climate change and public health impacts, using personal testimony and cultivating relationships with editors, journalists, and other media professionals can dispel false and harmful misinformation about the use and impacts of fossil fuels. Over time, frontline communities and people of color have used stories, media platforms, and authentic community voices to raise awareness about the issues affecting their neighborhoods.

When ordinary people gathered in Warren County, North Carolina in 1982 to block trucks from dumping PCB contamination into their neighborhoods, they did so knowing their actions could shine light on environmental racism. Earlier that year, the State of North Carolina decided to construct a toxic waste site in largely-Black Warren County. Furious that leaders had dismissed their concerns, residents and community leaders staged a peaceful protest to prevent hundreds of trucks from entering their neighborhoods. What ensued was weeks of direct action that reached millions of Americans via TV and newspaper coverage. 

They knew the risks of their act of protest, but nonetheless, they decisively implemented an organizing strategy that had clear objectives and a target audience. Over 500 people put themselves on the line by being arrested that day for attempting to block waste trucks entering their neighborhoods, but they did so knowing they had the attention of national media outlets.

When people understand their power, they also acknowledge and recognize the efficacy of words, images, and media.

Media Outreach: An effective organizing tool

Over time, media consolidation and staffing reductions have impacted the ability of journalists to do the important, in-depth reporting necessary to address disinvestment and inequality in environmental justice communities. Now, media professionals are expected to meet increased information demands by working faster, and not always with the same attention to detail. In addition, newsrooms are now competing for attention from audiences who follow social media pages that do not always fact-check or verify the information they disseminate.

Nevertheless, people want better and more news coverage from their local news outlets.

• 85% of people surveyed nationally believe journalism is essential or critical to providing information and holding the powerful accountable. 

• People who follow local news very closely are more than twice as likely to participate in local elections. 

Source: Gallup and Knight Foundation. American Views

2020: Trust, Media and Democracy. November, 2020 Journalists, editors, and news publishers understand the opportunity that arises from community members demanding better news coverage of their concerns  and aspirations for civic and social change. As a result, news publications and media organizations are building collaborative relationships that prioritize community engagement. This gives you — the organizer and advocate — the ability to use media outreach to tell important stories and affect change.

The Power of Community Stories

The movement for clean energy and transportation policy across the U.S. would not be possible without the historical and ongoing grassroots organizing and advocacy by environmental justice communities in some of the country’s most polluted and underserved areas. 

Unfortunately, the fossil fuel industry and its allies are actively spreading misinformation by telling a blatant lie — that clean energy policies are something communities of color and low-income people do not want.

Because we are the people who experience the direct impacts of climate pollution in our bodies and witness the devastation in our neighborhoods, we are the agents of change who can use advocacy and direct action to demand and achieve justice.

Through storytelling, we can build personal testimonies; inspire creativity through art and digital media; and cultivate relationships with editors, journalists, and media professionals to dispel fossil fuel disinformation. 

This module provides tips and strategies that can dispel false narratives and tropes while elevating solutions to the threat of fossil fuels.

In Action: What building trust looks like

Here is how PC4EJ worked to build trust and build a movement. 

Check in on your people. When in doubt, have a one-on-one meeting:

• We first met with residents who expressed clear frustration that people in power and fossil fuel actors were disregarding their concerns. We held one-on-one meetings where we asked open-ended questions about their frustrations and how we as community organizers could help.

• One particular resident shared they were unaware of how the process of adopting and implementing policy works despite knowing the importance of these government processes. Another resident shared that they had little faith that agencies like the AQMD and CARB would create change due to their belief that bureaucracy works too slowly. 

• Based on this information, we collectively brainstormed ways to use their story of self to validate their experiences, and we created a story of us to debunk problematic industry tropes and understand our power in collective action.

Bring people together around common values and the desire for change 

We began by building trust with the people within the community who would eventually serve as spokespeople and storytellers. 

• We began by holding public meetings about the proposed policy. To help residents understand the importance of using policy and legislative processes, organizers and advocates gave a presentation with key facts and gave them an opportunity to ask questions.

• We asked open-ended questions and then listened. And listened. And listened. We asked if they would be willing to share how diesel emissions impacted their families. We asked if they were willing to share their stories with the media and decision- makers.

What did they say?

They were brutally honest. Most were afraid, concerned, and distrustful of institutions — including the media and journalists — who they felt either misunderstood or were not interested in understanding their experiences navigating the warehousing and logistics industry. We took these thoughts to heart and decided to get to work on figuring out how we can build some tools that would allow us to collectively build a shared narrative that can help counter these narratives.

More importantly, we understood that we couldn’t simply ask people to speak to the media or give us an hour or two of their day to shoot a social media video. In order for us to ensure this was an impactful and authentic narrative, we knew that we needed to be patient and work at the speed of trust, using our organizational resources to help structure a media strategy that would be guided by residents.

Create a media strategy and leverage the trust you’ve built

During dozens of community sessions, we heard from mothers, students, workers, and more. They all shared how diesel truck pollution had an impact on their quality of life. 

By understanding the human experience of navigating hospital bills, traffic delays, health and lifestyle burdens, and tragic loss, we mulled over how we could help honor these experiences by using creative storytelling including strong visualization and news reporting.

Fortunately, we could rely on the legacies of environmental justice organizers for influence and inspiration. We realized that throughout the region, residents and community organizers have used community-based data collection to elevate policy advocacy. We were inspired by these examples, and we decided to do some preliminary research and analysis to pinpoint ways to mobilize community members.

We then outlined our strategy and plan:

• We set a goal of joining forces to document a powerful story that would convince decision-makers at CARB and the AQMD to develop strong rules for trucks.

• We decided to tap media strategies to ensure our message about the importance of clean air resonated with the general public and workers. 

• We made a list of our allies and those who could be considered skeptics, including those in the pocket of the oil, gas, and shipping industries.

• Next we considered all the opportunities we had to be heard and the challenges that could arise.

• We asked important questions: “Where do you fit in this plan? What part do you want to play in making sure our strategy works?” We did this because we know that when we all pitch in, we can make big changes together.

Analyze opportunities and threats: When you understand how the media operates and the roles of journalists, you can build positive relationships with reporters and influence the way your story is told. This opportunity ensures that your cause is accurately and favorably represented in the media.

Recognizing moments for public-facing actions or impactful displays, such as banners or advertisements, can help you capture public attention and convey your message effectively. These opportunities are like strategic chess moves in your media campaign, allowing you to gain ground and support. 

The spread of false or misleading information by opponents, especially those connected to the fossil fuel industry, poses a significant threat. This misinformation can distort public perceptions, erode trust in your cause, and hinder your progress. Recognizing this threat allows you to counteract false narratives and maintain the accuracy and credibility of your message. Some entities may attempt to exert a negative influence on media coverage. They might pressure journalists to report in a biased manner or push false narratives. Being aware of this threat helps you prepare strategies to protect the integrity of your message and ensures that the media remains a reliable ally in your advocacy efforts.

Generate creative ideas to support the plan: Creative ideas like banner drops and public actions are potent tools for drawing attention to environmental justice issues. They captivate through visual impact, evoke emotions, and encourage sharing on social media, extending their reach. These memorable actions build a sense of community and often attract media coverage, conveying the urgency of the cause. Importantly, they provide a tangible call to action, inspiring people to get involved. 

Engage community members in defining their role within the strategy: Engaging community members in shaping their role within a media strategy for advancing clean air through zero-emission trucks is crucial for several reasons. First, it ensures that the strategy aligns with the community’s unique needs, concerns, and priorities, making it more effective and relatable. Second, it gives community members a sense of ownership over messages, motivating them to actively participate in their creation.

Putting the media strategies in motion:

Community members generated a list of allied organizations, which included an assortment of environmental justice organizations, labor groups, and elected officials who held a track record of supporting community concerns. 

They also identified who may speak out in opposition to them. They listed several elected officials on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, on local city councils, and even some members of air quality agency boards, all of whom were vulnerable to industry influence. 

Once that was identified, they set a plan in motion. With thesupport of our organization, they decided to conduct truck counts to demonstrate the magnitude of truck traffic at specific freight corridors across the Inland Empire.

After several counts in the span of a month, we had official tallies for specific locations. With that in mind, we:

• Developed a compelling message highlighting the significant opportunity to end diesel truck pollution. See Figure 44. 

• Collaborated with professional PR experts to establish the slogan and hashtag #StopDieselDeath. 

• Utilized this slogan to create impactful advertisements across various platforms, including social media, newspapers, and public billboards.

• Conducted role-play exercises and trainings with community members to prepare them to serve as spokespeople. 

• Successfully enlisted community members willing to deliver important messages through media, public events, and meetings.

When the Western States Petroleum Association launched its “Levanta Tu Voz” PR campaign — a disinformation effort aimed at distorting truths about California’s transition to electric vehicles within the Latinx community — rather than a rapid response, members of PC4EJ opted to be methodical and strategic.

In the span of eight weeks, PC4EJ held what we referred to as “communications and narrative” discussions, which shaped not only their responses to WSPA and their disinformation but also inspired them to take a close look at the organization’s mission and vision.

Through “Levanta Tu Voz,” WSPA was spreading messaging suggesting Latinx people were somehow harmed by climate action and the clean transportation agenda. After many conversations with members and local residents, PC4EJ settled on the following message to counter WSPA’s rhetoric:

PC4EJ believes the important shift away from diesel does not seek to harm BIPOC communities. Rather, it represents a necessary rejection of the status quo that continues to perpetuate environmental racism by imposing an environmental and ecologically unsustainable transportation system.

The decision to collaborate on an op-ed using this message stemmed from several key factors:

Alignment with community concerns: The main message reflects the concerns and sentiments expressed by community members themselves. It acknowledges that the shift away from diesel does not harm communities of color, but rather challenges the existing transportation system that perpetuates environmental racism. This alignment ensured that the op-ed would resonate with the community’s values and priorities.

Community empowerment: Involving community members in crafting the message and the op-ed empowered them to take an active role in advocating for their own interests. It allowed local residents to share their perspective and have a direct influence on the narrative, reinforcing their sense of agency and ownership in the campaign for environmental justice.

Legitimacy and authenticity: The op-ed’s content was grounded in real conversations and interactions between community organizers and residents. This authenticity lent credibility to the message, making it more compelling and trustworthy to both the community and external audiences. Counteracting misconceptions: Addressing widespread misconceptions directly in the op-ed effectively clarified the campaign’s intentions and dispelled doubts about the shift away from diesel.

Broadening impact: An op-ed is a widely read and respected form of media that can reach a broader audience than traditional community meetings or local events. By collaborating on this op-ed, community organizers and residents amplified their message and raised awareness about the pressing issue of environmental racism and the need for sustainable transportation.

Enhancing News-Media Partnerships with Residents

The relationship an advocate has with a news editor is essential to promote media coverage that dispels misinformation while advancing residents’ demands for environmental justice.

Get to know the outlet 

As we covered in past modules, it is crucial to know your target audience. When it comes to media outlets, the same applies.

Follow the beats: Every newspaper has various roles. There are the publisher(s), an editor-in-chief, various managing editors, and of course news reporters. Here are some questions to ask yourself before engaging with a news/media outlet:

• Who is the editor covering the issues that are important to you?

• Does this editor work with reporters who cover particular beats — in this case, climate, environment, health, or environmental justice?

• Has this reporter covered this issue before?

Reaching the newsmakers: Successful pitching is more art than science. If we’re being totally honest, it’s mostly effort, luck, and timing. Don’t despair when reporters don’t respond to your pitches. Every contact you make with a reporter or editor is a step towards developing a relationship that will eventually pay off.

Traditional approach: You can pitch a story idea to an editor or provide feedback and perspective by pitching an op-ed or guest commentary piece. 

Grassroots approach: With social media, you can use a bit of innovation and creativity to reach reporters. Create graphics for X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, or use TikTok and Instagram reels to demonstrate your opinion or perspective. Then tag local reporters and editors in your posts to get their attention.

Most importantly: keep trying. It’s incredibly rare for a first contact with a reporter or editor to result in any coverage, and often you will not get a response initially either. It’s the start of a conversation and the beginning of a relationship. Develop that relationship over time, and you can educate the newsmakers themselves about the issue and even any related disinformation. Sometimes you can even get them interested in the fossil fuel industry’s influence on public discourse.

Exposing front groups and disinformation campaigns is a powerful way to show members of the media – and eventually, the public that they serve – the truth at the core of an issue. If we want to achieve clean air and a stable climate for our communities, we must alert the public to these bad faith actors and how they deploy disinformation.

Conclusion:

It’s our hope that you now feel more confident about how to use communications tools to take on the fossil fuel industry’s assault on clean air in our communities. The strategies, tips, and resources in this toolkit can be utilized in any number of environmental and climate justice campaigns, especially in the fight against dirty tailpipe pollution that plagues our neighborhoods. Of course, these resources alone won’t always be enough, and we encourage you to reach out with questions or for additional guidance. You aren’t in this alone. There are others facing similar opposition around the country.

There are also communications experts and opposition researchers in friendly partner organizations who are available to help. Please get in touch, and we can connect you with experts who can help. Thank you for committing so much of your valuable and limited time to these lessons, and thanks for committing yourself to the health and wellbeing of your communities!

Acknowledgements

This toolkit was largely researched and written by Anthony Victoria, an environment and health reporter working in California’s Inland Empire, and Ben Jervey, an opposition researcher, accountability journalist, and communications professional working with climate and energy justice advocacy groups. The authors benefited from extensive support from our partners at Resource Media. Amy Frykman provided clear editorial direction and leadership throughout, and Marla Wilson’s editing improved this product immeasurably. Ezra Manjarrez made this entire toolkit approachable and functional through their design skills. We would like to thank the many advocates, activists, and partners who have taken the time to discuss, plan, review, and critique this toolkit as it has developed from an idea to a finished product. A year before any drafting ever began, we conducted several exploratory interviews to guide the development of this toolkit–and these were fundamental in forming this resource, right down to its very structure.

Among others who wish to remain anonymous, we are deeply appreciative of the time, energy, and expertise shared by: Devin Cooley of NET Z Illinois87, José Miguel Acosta Córdova of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization88, Sharon Lewis of the Connecticut Coalition of Environmental Justice89, Carolina Martinez and Meli Morales of the Environmental Health Coalition90 in California, and Andrea Marpiellero-Colomnia of Green Latinos91. 

We would also like to thank the Environmental Justice Clinic92 and Institute for Energy and the Environment93, both at Vermont Law and Graduate School, for offering student and faculty resources in this project’s early scoping phases. Special thanks to student Veronica Ung-Kono and alumnus Arnell Limberry for giving this project a strong foundation and early direction.