Patty Ann Giles was a hardcore MAGA supporter. She believed in Donald Trump, she believed in the movement, she shunned traditional media and followed all Right-Wing sources. She felt only they were telling her the “Truth.” Only they could be trusted. She voted for Trump in 2016 — but by 2020 she was feeling differently. Ultimately she left MAGA — this is her story.
Being in the medical profession, she came to realize that some of the pandemic information that was being pushed from the right was wrong. They were arguing against distancing and masking, they were arguing against vaccinations. She knew this was a problem — and from there she started to question what she was being told, and who was telling her.
This UN Study shows that 2/3rd of Digital Influences do not Fact Check of Vet their information. Most of them are on the right.
“Digital content creators have acquired an important place in the information ecosystem, engaging millions of people with cultural, social or political news. But many are struggling in the face of disinformation and online hate speech and calling for more training,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Major gaps in digital verification
The UNESCO ‘Behind the screens’ survey, conducted with expertise from Bowling Green State University in the USA, examined 500 influencers across 45 countries, exposing critical gaps in content verification practices.
The study found that 63 per cent of influencers lack rigorous fact-checking protocols, despite their significant impact on public discourse.
The survey uncovered trends in how creators assess information credibility including 42 per cent who use social media metrics like “likes” and “shares” as primary credibility markers, while 21 per cent of respondents share content based solely on “trust in friends” who shared it.
Traditional news media, despite its expertise, ranks low as a resource, with only 36.9 per cent of creators utilising mainstream journalism for verification.
The digital rights landscape presented another challenge. Nearly 60 per cent of creators operate without understanding basic regulatory frameworks and international standards, leaving them vulnerable to legal risks and online harassment.
While one-third report experiencing hate speech, only 20.4 per cent know how to properly report these incidents to platforms.
These influences are the leaders of the MAGA movement. It’s not like they are taking marching orders from Trump — in reality, he gets his ideas from them. He listens to Charlie Kirk and Joe Rogan and parrots back their talking points over and over.
So of course the people who watch and support these influencers feel that Trump is “One of them” — because he is. He’s just as captured by MAGA disinformation as they are.
And that’s exactly the problem.
