Weapons of Mass Deception

"Weapons of Mass Deception argues that many right-wing media outlets function as political organizations that mobilize resources, select tactics, and pursue tangible political objectives. Based on a deep dive into Federal Election Commission filings, legal documents, and private communications, the book shows that many right-wing media outlets have engaged in a wide range of political organizing activities, such as fundraising and voter outreach. It also analyzes nearly four million online articles published by thirty major right-wing media outlets, revealing that disinformation consistently ranked among the most high-engagement stories each year between 2017 and 2020. Its analysis shows that right-wing media outlets frequently failed to fact-check Republicans or provide proper context in their reporting, effectively functioning as amplifiers of disinformation. The book traces the political use of right-wing media to privatized political patronage, a funding model that has sustained the right-wing media sector for decades. Ultra-rich individuals and families, such as the Murdoch family and the Mercer family, have supported and used many right-wing media to pursue personal ideological agendas. This means that right-wing media, owned by different rich individuals who bid for influence within the GOP, do not always move in lockstep with each other. However, when they do align with each other, they form a powerful political machine capable of misleading millions of Americans. The book reveals the specific organizing mechanisms that can unify disparate right-wing media outlets into a weapon of mass deception, despite the absence of a centralized propaganda department dictating a daily narrative"-- Provided by publisher.