SOCIAL SCIENCES

Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What We Can Do About It

by Richard Stengel
Atlantic Monthly. Oct. 2019. 368p. notes. ISBN 9780802147981. $28. POL SCI
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In a time when we are awash in information, some of it manipulated and untrue, Rhodes scholar Stengel (former U.S. undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs; editor, Time) shares his experiences in public service, navigating the challenge of coping with the spread of misinformation through an open democratic society. Appointed undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in 2013, the author served through the end of President Obama’s administration. Here he thoughtfully details his time working within the State Department to promote American ideals in the face of an array of disinformation generated by Russia and others during and before the 2016 U.S. election.
VERDICT This sobering book is indeed needed to help individuals better understand how information can be massaged to produce any sort of message desired. Recommended for general political science and current affairs collections.
Reviewed by Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames , Aug 08, 2019
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