Obama’s Speech on the Impactof Misinformation Is Taken Out of Context
The Claim
Former U.S. President Barack Obama's slip of the tongue reveals the role of American media in destroying countries.
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Emerging story
A video purportedly showing former US President Barack Obama giving a speech in which a slip of the tongue revealed what the U.S. is doing to undermine other countries by stirring public opinion and creating conspiracies and rumors to destroy those countries circulated on Facebook accounts across the MENA region.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar looked into the circulating claim and found that it is selective and taken out of context. According to the video clip, Obama gave a speech at Stanford University, specifically at the Center for Cyber Policy, in April 2022, titled "Challenges to Democracy in the Digital Information Realm."
Obama's Speech at the Stanford Center for Cyber Policy 2022
In his speech, the former US president addressed the most pressing challenges facing democracy in the age of digital information, including misinformation and its role in undermining trust in democracies. According to Obama's speech, perpetrators only need to create doubt through conspiracy theories so that people don't know who to believe and lose trust in the system, making them easier to manipulate. The extract of his speech can be seen below.
Photo Description: Extract of Obama speech with background context.
While the circulating clip is 38 seconds long, the full video is an hour and 13 minutes long. Obama was actually using Russia as an example of a country that spreads misinformation and explaining the tactics used. This confirms that the clip is very selective and taken out of context with the rest of the video, ironically spreading disinformation. A screenshot of the original video is shown below.
The Role of Tech Companies in Misinformation
Obama urged tech companies to work harder to combat misinformation, saying they previously resisted accountability but now acknowledge some responsibility for platform content and are investing in large teams to monitor it.
Obama reinforced the importance of free speech, stating that the exchange of ideas leads to better outcomes and a healthier society.
Based on the findings, the claim is selective and taken out of context. The clip was taken from a general speech on misinformation, not from a diabolical US plan to target other countries.
Translated by Dina Faisal
