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shanaqui 's review for:
This is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality
by Peter Pomerantsev
informative
slow-paced
Peter Pomerantsev's This Is Not Propaganda digs into the issue of propaganda/fake news/disinformation campaigns (and similar), trying to show us how they operate and what they do, interspersed with accounts of his family's experience fleeing Soviet territory. If I understand correctly, it's based on previously published articles, which is probably a big part of why it doesn't feel like it comes together very well -- and I don't think the accounts of his family's flight help much, either.
It's a pretty depressing read overall, and not one that really seems to offer any ideas of how to come back against this kind of thing (at least not anything novel, or anything that seems to combat the latest techniques). It's also a bit out of date now, of course.
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't a very enjoyable reading experience, and I don't think the format worked very well. There were interesting interviews with people working for and against disinformation campaigns, which I thought was worth it, but I was looking for more actionable ways forward (or at least a glimmer of hope that they're there) and less "we're all doomed".
It's a pretty depressing read overall, and not one that really seems to offer any ideas of how to come back against this kind of thing (at least not anything novel, or anything that seems to combat the latest techniques). It's also a bit out of date now, of course.
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't a very enjoyable reading experience, and I don't think the format worked very well. There were interesting interviews with people working for and against disinformation campaigns, which I thought was worth it, but I was looking for more actionable ways forward (or at least a glimmer of hope that they're there) and less "we're all doomed".