Former President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote speech at a Stanford University forum Thursday on media disinformation.
The keynote speech is part of Obama’s crusade against disinformation in the digital world, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The former president allegedly joined the fight against “disinformation” after lengthy discussions with Apple heiress Lauren Powell Jobs, who reportedly funded a number of fake local news sites in Silicon Valley that push Democratic rhetoric and talking points.
Other panelists at the event include Color of Change president Rashad Robinson who consistently pushed the fake news story that Jussie Smollett was the victim of a hate crime, the outlet reported. Smollett was later convicted of staging the hate crime.
In recent years, we’ve seen how quickly disinformation spreads, especially on social media. This has created real challenges for our democracy.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 19, 2022
Stanford researcher Renee DiResta will moderate the panel, according to the report. DiResta was reportedly part of the advisory team that created fake Russian bots that helped influence a 2017 Alabama special election, according to the report. She admitted to working with the company but denied knowledge of their tactics when asked by The Washington Post.
Former national security advisor Obama Ben Rhodes will also attend the conference. Rhodes previously admitted he created “echo chambers” of spin that supported “largely manufactured” narratives about various topics, including the Iran nuclear deal, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Obama’s personal history earned the “Lie of the Year” award from PolitiFact in 2013 for his repeated use of the phrase, “if you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.”
The President who told Americans “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan” is lecturing us about disinformation. https://t.co/YlEvMzhpse
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) April 21, 2022
Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton called out Obama in a tweet Thursday for “lecturing” Americans on disinformation despite earning the “Lie of the Year.”