Foundation that confronts deep-rooted challenges in American democracy while defending against new threats pledges support for MVJ’s Information Integrity Project and its work within military and veteran online spaces.
Aug. 13, 2024 – Military Veterans in Journalism announced today new support from Democracy Fund for its Information Integrity Project, an effort to build media literacy within military-connected online spaces. This support will enable the program team to continue their work beyond the 2024 inauguration, finding new ways to engage community members and create greater impact.
MVJ’s Information Integrity Project launched two years after a research project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that veterans and active-duty military members may make up at least 25% of militia rosters. Recent research coming out of the program’s collaboration with the University of Alabama Veterans and Media Lab further shows that an alarming 57% of veterans said they have been targeted with disinformation coming from malicious groups seeking to recruit them.
To combat these efforts, Information Integrity Project team members research, produce and promote media literacy explainers to help inoculate community members against targeted propaganda. Project team members, the majority of whom are themselves military veterans, engage with fellow veterans across social media channels to provide constructive discourse and resources to reconnect with purpose. The project also supports a reporting team at Military Times to independently produce high-quality reporting on violent extremist groups that are targeting veterans and service members.
“Violent extremist groups aim to exploit our military and tarnish the legacies of those who’ve served by attempting to co-opt the military and veteran community,” said Carla O, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the program’s marketing manager. “They seek out veteran voices to normalize their groups and bolster their perceived credibility, patriotism and professionalism, which ultimately undermines the service of those veterans. Our program works to expose the propaganda and recruitment tactics they use and inoculate members of the military and veteran community against future efforts.”
The Information Integrity Project has previously received generous support from the Knight Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies,the MacArthur Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. With this grant, Democracy Fund joins these national foundations and other supporting organizations in contributing to MVJ’s efforts to prevent extremist recruitment within military-connected communities online.
MVJ thanks Democracy Fund for its support of our Information Integrity Project. While the program currently has funding through Summer 2025, MVJ is seeking support to extend it for the following two years. If you are interested in supporting our efforts, please email [email protected].
