Obama campaign launches ‘Truth Teams’ to fight misinformation

{mosads}The website, housed at Obama’s campaign website, includes information listed by issue, and allows volunteers to organize by state or group.
 
An email from Obama campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter to supporters describes the initiative as “the grassroots communications team of the Obama 2012 campaign.” The campaign also doubled down in its characterization of Republican super-PACs pouring big money into supporting Obama’s competition as the “boogeyman” in the general election.
 
The first “Truth Teams” will launch in 13 swing states on Monday, including Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
 
It’s not the first time Obama has recruited the public to act as proxy. In 2008, Obama set up a website called “Fight the Smears” for the same purpose. According to the campaign, the goal of the Truth Team is to double the number of people involved in the “Fight the Smears” effort, aiming for “2 million grassroots supporters who will communicate the president’s record and fight back against attacks before the Democratic National Convention this fall.”
 
And last year, the campaign launched Attack Watch, a website and Twitter hashtag that urged supporters to “report” misinformation and criticism of the president to his team. The hashtag backfired when it was appropriated for use by Obama’s opponents; the website still exists, though the campaign has backed away from using the social-media aspect.