Misinformation, Propaganda, and Conspiracy Theories all have led to tragic events in our history.
The United Nations General Assembly is 2005 designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
According to the United States Holocaust Museum, Propaganda played a huge role in the start of the Holocaust. After the Nazi seizure of powerin 1933, Hitler put together the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. It was headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated with modern entertainment. art, music, theater, educational materials, and the press.
Nazi propaganda targeted civilians, soldiers, police officers, and non-German auxiliaries. After World War I, Czechoslovakia and Poland was the subject of Nazi propaganda.
This propaganda sought to evoke political loyalty and so-called race consciousness among the German populations. It also misled foreign governments.
Journalists were expected to follow mandates and instructions. Printing and broadcasting what was given to them from The Propaganda Ministry. They would take control of the content of news and editorial pages.
Journalists who didn't follow instructions could be fired or sent to a concentration camp.
Felix Fechenbach was killed on Aug. 7th, 1933 at the age of 39. He was born in Mergentheim, in a lower-middle-class family.
In 1929, Fechenbach was hired as editor in chief of the SPD newspaper Volksblatt in Detmold. In March of 1933 he was arrested by the Nazi government for his "anti-fascist activities." and was later shot.
Here in the U.S., there have been issues with misinformation targeting groups.
In 1961 a 10-minute film called 'Boys Beware' was sent out to school by the police department warning about the LGBTQ community.
The video was shot in in Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California, with the cooperation of the city's police department and the Inglewood Unified School District. The film made references that the homosexual had mental illnesses.
At this time homosexuality was considered a mental disorder. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association (APA) -- the largest psychiatric organization in the world issued a resolution stating that homosexuality was not a mental illness or sickness.
This would help the community but in many ways, the damage was done. It would take years for the LGBTQ community to fight for the freedom of marriage. To this day fight for rights continue.
Today the LGBTQ plus community continues to make headlines.
Several states including Texas have pushed bathroom bills and now gender athletics.
Many Texas groups have been in favor of this saying athletes born male participating in female sports, create disadvantages for women.
Groups like the Human Rights Campaign blames politics and misinformation.
Lawmakers across the country have recently proposed a number of bills that target the transgender community. The majority of these bills attempt to restrict transgender kids’ participation in school sports or ban transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care. These bills have given rise to a debate over transgender rights, a debate filled with misconceptions and lies.
In July of 2021 far-right activists like Proud Boy associates fought with left-wing activists.
The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly and arrested several dozen people.
LAPD arrested 40 people during the violent transgender rights protest and fired non-lethal projectiles to disperse the crowds.
Cops being aggressive with the counterprotesters— one violently shoved a journalist (at the end of vid) pic.twitter.com/rmAdyDz8E6
— Waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
The riot started from a viral Instagram video of an irate customer complaining to Wi Spa staff that a transgender woman was in the women's section of the spa. It's now believed that the video could have been staged.
The spa added that it complies with California law, Civil Code section 51(b), which provides that "Allpersons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status are entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever."
Since January 6, groups like Proud Boys across the U.S. have used local culture wars.
"The Proud Boys’ actions belie their disavowals of bigotry: Rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists," says The Southern Poverty Law Center.
In 2019, the Austin Regional Intelligence Center put together a Special Event Threat Assessment
potential dangers to the Austin Pride Parade. Proud Boys was named as being associated with a "growing backlash against Pride Month."
The News Literacy Projecthas the goal to help citizens understand the importance of what's the news and false information.
"It’s getting harder to separate fact from fiction," said The News Literacy Project.
Last year, the average American adult spent about 11 hours a day consuming media on their computer, television, or phone.
Providing curriculum for classroom and everyday citizens.
