Truth Brigade

Simple! Fill out this quick form--it's important! That's the only way you'll receive our weekly emails with message instructions, which is the heart of our communication system with you. Have you already filled out the form? That's it--you're in the Brigade. 

Through disrupting disinformation, we hope to help reclaim a civil society built on the shared value of the pursuit of objective truths. The primary role of the Truth Brigade in this space is to mobilize and train grassroots activists to disrupt the flow of disinformation and misinformation through peer-to-peer sharing of consistent messages and tactics that:

• Discourage interaction with disinformation, so it loses momentum, and
• Encourage critical thinking, so our work extends beyond any single message and empowers individuals to question before clicking

We did a whole bunch of research, and everything we recommend is vetted--daily--by independent advisors who study disinformation and how to combat it. Here are a few studies and other resources we found helpful in developing our tactics--find more about best practices in fighting the lies in our Welcome Guide:

Peer-to-peer persuasion works better than bots or bad actors

Start and end messages with the truth: from George Lakoff and the Debunking Handbook 2020

The psychology of disinformation -- 3 part series

Not clicking, commenting or sharing can stop the lies from rising to the top of social media feeds: from Sprout Social and Business Insider.

This MIT study describes how most disinformation is shared inadvertently online, how thinking critically disrupts the sharing of disinformation exponentially, and how many people will think more critically and refrain from sharing misinformation for the long haul with just one correction

Find common ground to open minds: Race/Class Narrative recommendations

All of this suggests that real people sharing, with trusted contacts, strategically-written truthful content that exposes bad actors is the most effective tactic individuals can employ to make folks stop and think, and thereby disrupt the flow of the lies.

Truth Brigaders share messages online within their existing personal networks (as well as offline). Most people wonder whether an in-network message can really stop the spread of disinformation outside their communities–outside what is sometimes called their “bubbles.” The answer is YES. You make an impact even if most of your contacts see the world as you do. Disinformation seeps into our minds no matter who we are. Reinforcing the truth is always important. And most misinformation is spread accidentally! Reminding people to think before sharing disrupts disinformation across the board. Most importantly–every bubble includes a spectrum of beliefs at any time, even if most lean one direction. By encouraging your full network to think critically, you share an important lesson that people on the fringes of your network may well share with their networks, in an ever-growing ripple of positivity and persuasion.

We typically launch new message templates twice a month. We share them:

• Make sure you join the Truth Brigade here! That gives you access to weekly emails and message campaign announcements. We also provide message campaign instructions and discussions: In online workshops, the second Wednesdays of each month or the fourth Wednesdays of each month.
• In our community Slack channel, which you can join here.

Learn more by reading our Welcome Guide!

Aha! Sounds like you need to read our Welcome Guide! It's here.

Oh, wow, we love that question, so glad you clicked! After you have attended a couple of our webinars and drafted a few of your own messages, get in touch with us at TruthBrigade@Indivisible.org and we'll provide guidance. Many Indivisible groups incorporate small working groups to fight disinformation into their regular meetings, where a couple members attend Truth Brigade calls and report back to the full group. Some groups hold message-creation virtual parties each month. And others join together to launch statewide disinformation-disruption campaigns. It's up to you to determine what works best for you, and we're here to support you.