Letter: Time to hold liars accountable

I commend the Biden administration, DHS secretary Mayorkas and Wilson Center fellow Nina Jankowicz for finally moving forward in tackling misinformation and disinformation in America, which has led to political violence, societal decay and even death.

Disinformation coming from Putin's GRU Russian troll farms coordinating with right-wing propaganda networks like Sinclair Broadcasting, Fox news, Newsmax, OAN, and hundreds of Clear Channel AM hate radio stations has had a disastrous effect on American society.

The lies, propaganda and delusional conspiracy machine has deceived at least 25% of America into believing a variety of absurdities:the Big Lie of a stolen election; COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation; climate change denialism, blaming the Biden administration for worldwide price hikes. Despite the fact that corporate CEOs and fossil fuel oligarchs are seeing record profits, they are exploiting and fleecing Americans knowing full well the media, funded by the same plutocrats, will defend their greed by blaming politicians for manufactured "inflation."

Here in Illinois, those neighbors who have succumbed to the mendacity are easy to see, as they indulge in ignorance by the flags and derogatory yard signs they plant, completely devoid of economic reality, science, truth or facts.

A healthy democracy is contingent on freedom of speech, but the transparency of holding citizens, media and public figures to account for lies is essential for a civilized society.

Bob Janz

McHenry