Disinformation

His invasion of Ukraine one year ago floundered from the very beginning. But what about Putin’s disinformation efforts? In some parts of the world, his messages appears to have gained - to some degree - traction.Special thanks to CIA Veteran John Sipher, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research Ellen McCarthy, special correspondent on Soviet affairs of The Wall Street Journal David Satter, and to Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Emergent Risk International.

The rise of generative technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT offer a tantalizing - and perhaps ominous - look at information that can be easily curated and packaged into distributable false narratives. Even more powerful iterations of AI are just around the corner. Special thanks to Dr. Bruce Schneier, Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society; Dr. David Yoffie, Professor of International Business Administration at Harvard Business School; Meredith Wilson, chief executive officer, Emergent Risk International.

Many Americans—influenced by political leaders and even some health providers—chose to downplay or ignore science-based recommendations from infectious-disease experts to get vaccinated, wear masks, and practice physical distancing. At the same time, unproven, even “dangerous anti-science beliefs and behaviors” spread, gaining traction with some. As a result, notes Scientific American, “more people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 than in any other country, and our nation has one of the highest per capita death rates in the world.”Featuring Dr. Seema Yasmin, Director of Research and Education, Stanford University Health Communication Initiative; John Gregory, Health Editor for NewsGuard, and Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Emergent Risk International

On the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, we look at the government’s need to recalibrate its approach to domestic terrorism. But a revamping of basic American institutions is needed as well - featuring Dr. David Gioe, Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Director of Studies for the Cambridge Security Initiative and co-convener of its International Security and Intelligence program.

Americans see each other in increasingly tribalistic terms — one side or the other, and the nation seems, at times, a tinderbox for violence. Adversaries (or perhaps enemies) like Russia, China and others are only too happy to pile on. Featuring John Cohen, former acting under secretary for intelligence and the counterterrorism coordinator, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

We were told decades ago of television’s immense power to do good—or to rip at the fabric of our democracy. Thanks to disinformation, the same holds true today for the internet and social media.Special thanks to analyst Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Emergent Risk International, Counter-terrorism expert John Cohen, and former CIA officer Cindy Otis, author of “True or False."

One of just three people in American history to be both Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Leon Panetta shares his views on Russia, Vladimir Putin, China, disinformation, and his worries for the survival of the United States in an age of division and lies. Analyst Meredith Wilson also weighs in.

What lessons have social media firms learned from the 2020 election — and what are they doing as the 2022 midterm election looms? Analyst Meredith Wilson - the chief executive officer of Emergent Risk International - and guest Katie Harbath, a technology executive, chief executive officer of Anchor Change and former director of public policy at Facebook, weigh in.

The immense power and reach of social media and the internet can act as accelerants for disinformation. Paul's guests include Meredith Wilson, chief executive officer of Emergent Risk International and ERI's Brady Roberts.

Disinformation played a critical role during the Cold War, a half-century struggle between Washington and Moscow.In this episode, host Paul Brandus speaks with Meredith Wilson, CEO of Emergent Risk International, Paul Kolbe, a veteran CIA officer who spent years working behind the Iron Curtain, and intelligence expert and historian Calder Walton. A co-production of Evergreen and Emergent Risk International .