EXPLAINER: Looking at Election Day misinformation
Posted November 3, 2020 6:38 pm.
Last Updated November 3, 2020 6:54 pm.
WASHINGTON — One key concern about Election Day 2020 in the United States: misinformation, disinformation, and how they could affect the way Americans vote. Here’s a look at what’s been seen so far Tuesday, direct from Karen Mahabir, fact check and misinformation editor for The Associated Press.
ON WHAT HER TEAM HAS SEEN SO FAR:
“We’ve seen a lot of small things. There’s been a lot of what we expected — regular problems at polling stations that are blown up into something more than they are, which we totally thought would happen. We’ve seen a lot of attention on Pennsylvania,” a swing state that many believe will be pivotal in the decision.
ON WHAT SHE EXPECTS IN COMING HOURS AS POLLS CLOSE:
“What we’re going to see is what we see a lot on a day-to-day basis — old material, old posts, old videos being passed off as new.”
ON WHAT HER TEAM IS WATCHING ESPECIALLY CLOSELY:
“I think a lot of this stuff is magnified today. So we need to check ourselves and make sure our judgment is spot-on and that we’re not amplifying anything.”
ON WHAT HAPPENS IF WORD OF A WINNER IS DELAYED:
“My concern is that if we don’t’ have a winner, that leaves a space for people to step in with supposed answers. So I’m concerned with what Wednesday might look like if the race isn’t called.”
The Associated Press
