Most of us are familiar with the propaganda aimed at glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. For years, activists pushed fake news and disinformation about the seriously benign herbicide, mostly because it was associated with genetically modified crops. France vowed to seriously curtail use within its borders. And now local governments around the U.S., including New York City, are banning it entirely.
Consider Greenpeace’s nonsensical opposition to genetically modified crops. The activist organization has promoted outright falsehoods and lies about GMO crops — online and in other formats — for years. As a result some Southern African governments decided it was better to let their residents starve than distribute GMO grains sent by other countries. And everyone knows that Greenpeace’s obstruction of Golden Rice [despite] a letter from 159 Nobel Laureates begging them to stop with the disinformation couldn’t convince them.
There’s plenty of other examples, like GMO labeling, that I could point to. Unfortunately, we’re increasingly living in a post-truth world where most people only surround themselves with people they want to believe. And, if anything, it’s only getting worse. So while standing up to these coordinated attacks when they first develop on social media might not be fun and sexy, it’s more important than ever.
