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Truth Brigade

Disinformation Disruption Starts HERE!

  • Impact
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    • 500,000,000+ Twitter Impressions

      and as many on Facebook plus offline conversations

    • 14% of Misinfo-Spreaders

      shift their thinking – with just one Indivisible Truth Sandwich message

    • 75+ Trainings Held

      and thousands of people have learned to open minds, online and offline

    • 6,000+ People

      have joined the Truth Brigade with members in every state!

  • About
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    Woman holding a sign that reads "Above all else Democracy"

    About the Truth Brigade

    Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by opened mind.
    Yes! A bunch of grassroots volunteers can throw a meaningful wrench into the democracy-destroying lie machine. Independent studies prove that we can persuade a lot of people to stop spreading lies with just one strategic message or conversation. Online and offline, in person and on social media, you, along with more than 6,000 other Truth Brigade members, will clear the path to a sustainable democracy!


    Image by Carlos Fernandez.

  • Actions
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  • Learn & Resources
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    Learn & Resources

    Learn & Resources

    • Welcome Guide

      A great place to start learning about the Truth Brigade!

      Step 1
    • Webinars & Workshops

      Big Truths instructional calls, message workshops and new member orientations.

      Step 2
    • Help and Support

      Still have questions? We have answers – and real people to help out (often volunteers just like you).

      Step 3
    • Quickstart

      Want to jump right in and start sending out messages? Here’s where to go.

      Step 4
    • Community Code of Conduct

      We maintain a culture of respect, positivity and nonpartisan accountability.

      Step 5
    • FAQs

      Find answers to common Truth Brigade questions here.

      Step 6
    • How to Find Common Ground

      Opening a disinfo-busting conversation with someone who seems to think very differently may seem impossible. Here’s how to flip a disinfo fear into a shared desire.

      Step 7
    • Local Disinfo Disruption

      Build your local disinformation-fighting power and strengthen your Indivisible group

      Step 1
    • Proofs and Research

      We derive our tactics from research in social, political and psychological sciences, which you can learn more about in our FAQs below, and we’ve conducted our own study as well.

      Step 2
    • Partners and Press

      Press and awards for the Truth Brigade

      Step 3
    • Truth Brigade Letters to the Editor

      Use the Truth Sandwich messaging framework to write to your local paper.

      Step 4
    • Disinfo on NextDoor

      A volunteer-written guide to combating disinformation on the popular neighborhood platform.

      Step 5
  • Volunteer Testimonials
  • Now in Volunteer Testimonials

    Pushing Positivity

    Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Truth Brigade. 

    Truth Brigade messaging tactics rest on the power of authentic, positive conversations. Volunteers learn to find common ground with people who are misinformed, and to encourage those people to check the sources of disinformation before sharing. We shift mindsets and open hearts – that’s why so many volunteers stick around and bring in more people.

  • FAQs
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Simple! Fill out this quick form--it's important! That's the only way you'll receive our weekly emails with message instructions, which is the heart of our communication system with you. Have you already filled out the form? That's it--you're in the Brigade. 

    Through disrupting disinformation, we hope to help reclaim a civil society built on the shared value of the pursuit of objective truths. The primary role of the Truth Brigade in this space is to mobilize and train grassroots activists to disrupt the flow of disinformation and misinformation through peer-to-peer sharing of consistent messages and tactics that:

    • Discourage interaction with disinformation, so it loses momentum, and
    • Encourage critical thinking, so our work extends beyond any single message and empowers individuals to question before clicking

    We did a whole bunch of research, and everything we recommend is vetted--daily--by independent advisors who study disinformation and how to combat it. Here are a few studies and other resources we found helpful in developing our tactics--find more about best practices in fighting the lies in our Welcome Guide:

    Peer-to-peer persuasion works better than bots or bad actors

    Start and end messages with the truth: from George Lakoff and the Debunking Handbook 2020

    The psychology of disinformation -- 3 part series

    Not clicking, commenting or sharing can stop the lies from rising to the top of social media feeds: from Sprout Social and Business Insider.

    This MIT study describes how most disinformation is shared inadvertently online, how thinking critically disrupts the sharing of disinformation exponentially, and how many people will think more critically and refrain from sharing misinformation for the long haul with just one correction

    Find common ground to open minds: Race/Class Narrative recommendations

    All of this suggests that real people sharing, with trusted contacts, strategically-written truthful content that exposes bad actors is the most effective tactic individuals can employ to make folks stop and think, and thereby disrupt the flow of the lies.

    Truth Brigaders share messages online within their existing personal networks (as well as offline). Most people wonder whether an in-network message can really stop the spread of disinformation outside their communities–outside what is sometimes called their “bubbles.” The answer is YES. You make an impact even if most of your contacts see the world as you do. Disinformation seeps into our minds no matter who we are. Reinforcing the truth is always important. And most misinformation is spread accidentally! Reminding people to think before sharing disrupts disinformation across the board. Most importantly–every bubble includes a spectrum of beliefs at any time, even if most lean one direction. By encouraging your full network to think critically, you share an important lesson that people on the fringes of your network may well share with their networks, in an ever-growing ripple of positivity and persuasion.

    We typically launch new message templates twice a month. We share them:

    Learn more by reading our Welcome Guide!

    Aha! Sounds like you need to read our Welcome Guide! It's here.

    Oh, wow, we love that question, so glad you clicked! After you have attended a couple of our webinars and drafted a few of your own messages, get in touch with us at TruthBrigade@Indivisible.org and we'll provide guidance. Many Indivisible groups incorporate small working groups to fight disinformation into their regular meetings, where a couple members attend Truth Brigade calls and report back to the full group. Some groups hold message-creation virtual parties each month. And others join together to launch statewide disinformation-disruption campaigns. It's up to you to determine what works best for you, and we're here to support you.