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The Infodemic

How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Infodemic explores how the COVID-19 pandemic not only spread a virus but also unleashed a wave of government censorship and misinformation. Authors Robert Mahoney and Joel Simon, experts in press freedom, reveal how traditional censorship tactics evolved into "censorship through noise," flooding the public sphere with misinformation that drowned out truth. From China to the Trump White House, the book uncovers how increased surveillance, loss of public trust, and attacks on local journalism enabled governments to control information and consolidate power during the crisis.
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The Infodemic is essential reading for those interested in freedom of the press, the impact of misinformation, and the intersection of public health and civil liberties in the modern world. It suits readers of political science, journalism, and contemporary history.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
How censorship turned a terrible disease into an assault on rights

As COVID-19 spread around the world, so did government censorship. The Infodemic lays bare not just old-fashioned censorship, but also the mechanisms of a modern brand of "censorship through noise," which moves beyond traditional means of state control—such as the jailing of critics and restricting the flow of information—to open the floodgates of misinformation, overwhelming the public with lies and half-truths.

Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney, who have travelled the world for many years defending press freedom and journalists' rights as the directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists, chart the onslaught of COVID censorship beginning in China, through Iran, Russia, India, Egypt, Brazil, and inside the Trump White House. Increased surveillance in the name of public health, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and the demise of local news reporting all contributed to help governments hijack the flow of information and usurp power.

Full of vivid characters and behind the scenes accounts, The Infodemic shows how under the cover of a global pandemic, governments have undermined freedom and taken control—this new political order may be the legacy of the disease.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781735913681

Publisher: Columbia Global Reports

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 June 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Columbia Global Reports

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 190.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 192

About the Author

Joel Simon is a fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School and formerly the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Before joining CPJ, he worked as a journalist in Latin America and California. He is the author of three books, including We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Hostages, Kidnapping, and Ransom, also from Columbia Global Reports. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Robert Mahoney is Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He was a Reuters correspondent with postings in Southeast Asia, West Africa, India, Israel, France and Germany. This is Robert’s first book. He lives in New York City.

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