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Find links to the places we got our info from below

Find links to the places we got our info from below

Image and Media Alteration

Astroturfing

Assenmacher, D., Clever, L., Frischlich, L., Quandt, T., Trautmann, H., & Grimme, C. (2020). Demystifying social bots: On the intelligence of automated social media actors. Social Media + Society, 6(3). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305120939264

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Berger, J. M. (2015). The ISIS Twitter census: Making sense of ISIS’s use of Twitter. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-isis-twitter-census-making-sense-of-isiss-use-of-twitter/

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Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Grassroots. In dictionary.cambridge.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/grassroots.

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Chan, J. (2022). Online astroturfing: A problem beyond disinformation. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 50(3). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01914537221108467

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Lits, B. (2020). Detecting astroturf lobbying movements. Communication and the Public, 5(3-4), 164-177. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2057047320969435

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Mahbub, S., Pardede, E., Kayes, A.S.M., & Rahayu, W. (2019). Controlling astroturfing on the internet: a survey on detection techniques and research challenges. International Journal of Web and Grid Services, 15(2). https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJWGS.2019.099561

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Mulvey, K. & Shulman, S. (2015). The climate deception dossiers: Internal fossil fuel industry memos reveal decades of corporate disinformation. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://content.influencemap.org/site/data/000/076/UCS_The-Climate-Deception-Dossiers_August_5_2015.pdf

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Scott, M.J. (2019). Ripping up the astroturf: Regulating deceptive corporate advertising methods. Iowa Law Review, 105(1), 431-[iv]. https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/ilr105&id=447&men_tab=srchresults

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Union of Concerned Scientists. (2017). How fossil fuel lobbyists used ‘astroturf’ front groups to confuse the public. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/how-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-used-astroturf-front-groups-confuse-public

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Vidino, L. & Hughes, S. (2015). ISIS in America. The George Washington University. https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/downloads/ISIS%20in%20America%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf

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Western States Petroleum Association logo [photo]. (n.d.). Western States Petroleum Association. https://www.wspa.org/

Social Bots and Bot Swarming

Aljabri, M., Zagrouba, R., Shaahid, A., Alnasser, F., Saleh, A., & Alomari, D.M. (2023). Machine learning-based social media bot detection: a comprehensive literature review. Social Networking Analysis and Mining, 13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13278-022-01020-5

 

Alrhumoun, A., Winter, C. & Kertész, J. (2023). Automating terror: The role and impact of Telegram bots in the Islamic State’s online ecosystem. Terrorism and Political Violence, 39(4). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2023.2169141#abstract

 

Assenmacher, D., Clever, L., Frischlich, L., Quandt, T., Trautmann, H., & Grimme, C. (2020). Demystifying social bots: On the intelligence of automated social media actors. Social Media & Society. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305120939264

 

Barone, D.M. (2022). Social bots and synthetic interactions to stage digital extremist armies. Sicurezza, terrorismo e societa, 16. https://www.sicurezzaterrorismosocieta.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SicTerSoc16.pdf#page=88

 

Berger, J.M. & Morgan, J. (2015). The ISIS Twitter census. Defining and describing the population of ISIS supporters on Twitter. The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations With the Islamic World. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/isis_twitter_census_berger_morgan.pdf

 

Bondy, M. (2017). Bad bots. The weaponization of social media. The Project on International Peace and Security. https://www.wm.edu/offices/global-research/research/pips/_documents/pips/2016-2017/Bondy.Matthew.pdf

 

Jones, M.O. (2019). Propaganda, fake news, and fake trends: The weaponization of Twitter bots in the Gulf crisis. International Journal of Communication, 13. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/8994/2604

 

Khaund, T., Kirdemir, B., Agarwal, N., Liu, H. & Morstatter, F. (2022). Social bots and their coordination during online campaigns: A survey. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 9(2), 530-545. https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/document/9518390

 

Kolomeets, M., Tushkanova, O., Desnitsky, V., Vitkova, L., & Chechulin, A. (2024). Experimental evaluation: Can humans recognize social media bots? Big Data Cognitive Computing,, 8(3). https://www.mdpi.com/2504-2289/8/3/24

 

Monaci, S. (2017). Explaining the Islamic State’s online media strategy: A transmedia approach. International Journal of Communication, 11. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/6975/2086

Speech Synthesis & AI Detection

Admin-Bfb. (2024, September 6). Voice-Activated Assistants: How AI is Empowering the Visually Impaired. Battle for Blindness.  https://battleforblindness.org/voice-activated-assistants-how-ai-is-empowering-the-visually-impaired/#:~:text=The%20visually%20impaired%20can%20compose,texts%20without%20touching%20their%20phone 

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Advantages of VOCALOID6 - vocaloid - the modern singing synthesizer -. VOCALOID. (n.d.). https://www.vocaloid.com/en/vocaloid6/ 

 

AICool27. (2023, May 15). Feeling Good - Frank Sinatra (AI Cover). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvG7xF03tG0

 

A&E Television Networks. (2025, January 21). Donald Trump: Presidency, family, Education. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/donald-trump

 

Barry, B. Chapter 8 Speech Synthesis. Columbia University.  https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~julia/courses/CS6998-2019/%5B08%5D%20Speech%20Synthesis.pdf

 

Bethea, C. (2024, March 7). The terrifying A.I. Scam that uses your loved one’s voice. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/the-terrifying-ai-scam-that-uses-your-loved-ones-voice 

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Bhandari, D. (2024, October 29). Emotional intelligence in action: How to spot AI voices vs. real human voices. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/emotional-intelligence-action-how-spot-ai-voices-vs-real-bhandari-zy8rc/

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Calderón-González, D., Ábalos, N., Bayo, B., Cánovas, P., Griol, D., Muñoz-Romero, C., Pérez, C., Vila, P., & Callejas, Z. (2024, October 30). Deep speech synthesis and its implications for news verification: Lessons learned in the RTVE-ugr chair. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/21/9916 

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Carman, J., Abbruzzese, J., & Colier, K. (2024a, March 7). Can You Tell Which Piece of Audio Was Made By AI?. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/can-tell-piece-audio-was-made-ai-rcna139769 

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Conspiracypeterg. (2025a, February 1). Conspiracy Peter 👽 on Instagram: “Peter tells Chris About Secret Military Psyop’s 🤫🧠 - - - #familyguy #conspiracy #petergriffin #stewiegriffin #conspiracytheory #fyp #reels.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFi6HKQSz1T/?igsh=dHAybGNweW83YnNw 

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Echtelt, R. van. (2023, May 1). Implementing AI machine learning in your team. AG5. https://www.ag5.com/implementing-ai-machine-learning-in-your-team/

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Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2025, February 1). Speech Synthesis. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/speech-synthesis 

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Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2025a, January 28). Artificial Intelligence (AI). Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/procon/artificial-intelligence-AI-debate

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From Text to Speech: The Evolution of Synthetic Voices. (2024, May 16). IgniteTech. https://ignitetech.ai/about/blogs/text-speech-evolution-synthetic-voices#:~:text=Text%2Dto%2Dspeech%20(TTS,of%20TTS%20has%20been%20remarkable

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Goldstein, J. A., Chao, J., Grossman, S., Stamos, A., & Tomz, M. (2024, February 20). How persuasive is AI-generated propaganda? | PNAS Nexus | oxford academic. Oxford

Academic. https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/2/pgae034/7610937

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Grammy Awards. (n.d.). Ariana Grande: Artist. Artist | GRAMMY.com. https://www.grammy.com/artists/ariana-grande/18441

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Green, J., & Weintraub, A. (2023, July 7). Experts warn rise in scammers using AI to mimic voices of loved ones in distress. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/experts-warn-rise-scammers-ai-mimic-voices-loved/story?id=100769857  

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GQ. (2021, January 11). Zendaya Replies to Fans on the Internet | Actually Me | GQ. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buMCmzXJUx0

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Hutiri, W., Papakyriakopoulos, O., & Xiang, A. (2024). Not My Voice!: A Taxonomy of Ethical and Safety Harms of Speech Generators. ACM, 2402.01708v1. https://arxiv.org/html/2402.01708v1 

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Independent Age. (n.d.). How to avoid a scam. https://www.independentage.org/get-advice/money/scams/how-to-avoid-a-scam#:~:text=How%20to%20spot%20a%20scam,tell%20family%20or%20friends%20about

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Jingnan, H. (2024, May 31). It’s quick and easy to clone famous politicians’ voices, despite safeguards. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4986088/deepfake-audio-elections-politics-ai

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Joe Biden: Biography, former U.S. president, politician. Biography.com. (2025, January 28). https://www.biography.com/political-figures/joe-biden 

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Nelu, C. (2024, June 10). Exploitation of generative AI by terrorist groups. ICCT. https://icct.nl/publication/exploitation-generative-ai-terrorist-groups

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Ovsiienko, V. (2024, June 4). The role of speech synthesis in creating inclusive technologies. Respeecher. https://www.respeecher.com/blog/the-role-of-speech-synthesis-in-creating-inclusive-technologies#:~:text=Speech%20synthesis%2C%20often%20accompanied%20by,difficulties%20to%20access%20information%20effortlessly.

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Owen. (n.d.). Islamic family guy minecraft Parkour videos / imam Peter Instagram reels. Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/islamic-family-guy-minecraft-parkour-videos-imam-peter-instagram-reels 

 

Respeecher. (2021, April 21). 2021 guide to speech synthesis through machine learning. Medium. https://respeecher.medium.com/2021-guide-to-speech-synthesis-through-machine-learning-b144570b97f3

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Root. (2024, April 23). How to spot AI-generated deepfake voice?. EQHO. https://eqho.com/how-to-spot-ai-generated-deepfake-voice/#:~:text=Listen%20for%20Inconsistencies%20in%20Speech,context%20of%20the%20voice%20recording.

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Sheikhthehedgehog. (2024, December 29). Sheikh the hedgehog on Instagram: “follow @sheikhthehedgehog for more Islamic content very powerful hadith. • • • • #ALLAHU #islam #sonicthehedgehog #shadowthehedgehog #explore #FYP #quran #islamicpost.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEMENRDtqgh/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet 

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Sheikhthehedgehog. (2025, January 13). Sheikh the hedgehog on Instagram: “follow @sheikhthehedgehog for more Islamic content • • • this is not a sponsorship. this was completely free. • • • • • • • #allahu #islam #sonicthehedgehog #shadowthehedgehog #explore #fyp #quran #islamicpost I will check it out.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DExY1TZpBNp/?igsh=MThrMTRzMTNvbmZuMA

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Skipper, K. J. (2024, September 27). Voice cloning AI scams are on the rise. BECU. https://www.becu.org/blog/voice-cloning-ai-scams-are-on-the-rise

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Staff, W. (2020, November 17). Ariana Grande drops her sci-fi inspired video for “34+35.”https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2020/11/17/ariana-grande-3435/

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Swenson, A. (2024, May 31). Tests find AI tools readily create election lies from the voices of well-known political leaders. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-audio-voice-cloning-elections-2024-2500813b642169478c27c168aab1b3e3 

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Syed, H. (2024, July 23). How To Detect An AI Voice: With & Without Tools! PlayHT. https://play.ht/blog/how-to-detect-an-ai-voice/#:~:text=Background%20Noise%20and%20Consistency:%20One,or%20emphasize%20the%20wrong%20syllables 

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The Science Elf. (2018, February 26). The Evolution of Computer Speech. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=wQjTgvUEOrY 

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The University of Kansas - Department of Special Education. (n.d.). What is speech synthesis?. Speech Synthesis | Special Connections. https://specialconnections.ku.edu/instruction/universal_design_for_learning/teacher_tools/speech_synthesis

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Tuquero, L. (2024, March 21). AI detection tools for audio deepfakes fall short. how 4 tools fare and what we can do instead. Poynter. https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2024/deepfake-detector-tool-artificial-intelligence-how-to-spot/#:~:text=The%20University%20at%20Buffalo%20Media%20Forensic%20Lab%27s%20DeepFake%2DO%2DMeter,you%20know%2C%E2%80%9D%20Rege%20said. 

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). News beware of virtual kidnapping ransom scam. National Institutes of Health. https://ors.od.nih.gov/News/Pages/Beware-of-Virtual-Kidnapping-Ransom-Scam.aspx

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Westwater, S. (2023, September 1). Understanding the basics of voice AI: A comprehensive guide. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understanding-basics-voice-ai-comprehensive-guide-scot-westwater/

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Yan, H. Y., Morrow, G., Yang, K.-C., & Wihbey, J. (2025, January 30). The origin of public concerns over AI supercharging misinformation in the 2024 U.S. presidential election: HKS Misinformation Review. Misinformation Review. https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/the-origin-of-public-concerns-over-ai-supercharging-misinformation-in-the-2024-u-s-presidential-election/ 

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Zendaya. TV Tropes. (n.d.). https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/Zendaya

Propaganda and False media 

Skills Page

Here are some sites we referenced and other useful resources for you to take a look at if you want to learn more,  just click the citation and it will take you there!

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Propaganda Techniques 

Anti-Defamation League (2019, 8 April). Through conspiracies and coded language, white supremacists use social media networks to aid and abet terror, new study reveals. https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/through-conspiracies-and-coded-language-white-supremacists-use-social-media.

Bershad, J. (2010, 1 July). This exists: al qaeda releases first english-language magazine. Mediaite. https://www.mediaite.com/online/this-exists-al-queda-releases-first-english-language-magazine/.

Busch, E., & Ware. J. (2023, December). The weaponization of deepfakes: digital deception by the far-right. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. https://icct.nl/sites/default/files/2023-12/The%20Weaponisation%20of%20Deepfakes.pdf. 

Counter Extremism Project (2018, April). Extremists and online propaganda. https://www.counterextremism.com/themes/custom/cep/templates/reports/extremists_online_propaganda/files/Extremists%20and%20Online%20Propaganda_040918.pdf. 

Desai, S., & Oehrli, J. A. (2024, 9 November). “Fake news”, lies and propaganda: how to sort fact from fiction. University of Michigan Library. https://guides.lib.umich.edu/fakenews. 

Hassan, A. A. (2021, 11 March). Semiotics of violence- significance of signs, symbols and images in terrorist media. Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. https://www.imctc.org/en/eLibrary/Articles/Pages/articles01032021.aspx.

Henriquez, M. (2020, 24 September). How extremist groups are using social media to spread their ideology, recruit and encourage violence. Security Magazine. https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/93440-how-extremist-groups-are-using-social-media-to-spread-their-ideology-recruit-and-encourage-violence.

Neifakh,V. (2024, 21 November). Terrorists exploit AI for propaganda and operations, exposing critical gaps in tech safeguards. The Media Line. https://themedialine.org/top-stories/terrorists-exploit-ai-for-propaganda-and-operations-exposing-critical-gaps-in-tech-safeguards/. 

Meyer, C. (2021, 1 May). how memes and internet irony are hijacked for radicalization. Security Management. https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2021/05/how-memes-and-internet-irony-are-hijacked-for-radicalization/.

Ritzmann, A. Violent extremism in the euro-mediterranean region. European Institute of the Mediterranean. https://www.iemed.org/publication/the-role-of-propaganda-in-violent-extremism-and-how-to-counter-it/. 

Sunde, H. M., Ilan, J., & Sandberg, S. (2020, 27 April). A cultural criminology of “new” jihad: insights from propaganda magazines. Crime, Media, Culture, 17(2), 281-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741659020915509. 

Truepic (2025). How to tell if an image is AI-generated. https://www.truepic.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-an-image-is-ai-generated.

Informed Voting

5 tips for being an active, informed voter. Generation Nation. (n.d.). https://www.generationnation.org/documents/5_tips_for_being_an_active,_informed_voter.pdf  

 

Cercone, J. (2024, October 29). No, Nicki Minaj has not endorsed Donald Trump for president. Politifact. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/oct/29/social-media/no-rapper-nicki-minaj-has-not-publicly-endorsed-do/#sources  

 

Courtneylynne (@kourtneelynne) on threads. Threads. (2024, October 28). https://www.threads.net/@kourtneelynne/post/DBr28cSuJl6  

 

Facebook. (2015, August 15). Biden steps down, Harris becomes president! Makes Pelosi vice president, think about that one. . Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Texts, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine. https://archive.org/ 

 

Guide to informed voting. AASCU’s American Democracy Project. (n.d.). https://civicengagement.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/ADP-Guide-to-Informed-Voting.pdf  

 

How to be an informed voter. Legacy Community Health. (n.d.). https://www.legacycommunityhealth.org/teenwell/your-vote/how-to-be-an-informed-voter/  

 

Mahadevan, A. (2024, November 5). Election misinformation is rampant. here’s how to avoid it. Poynter. https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/media-literacy/2024/election-misinformation-is-rampant-heres-how-to-avoid-it/ 

 

Media literacy is vital during the election process. Learning for Justice. (n.d.). https://www.learningforjustice.org/media-literacy-is-vital-during-the-election-process  

 

Miller, J., Haruch, A., Kennedy, S., & Woodworth, A. (2019, August 31). Going upstream and lateral reading. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/rowanccii/chapter/going-upstream-and-lateral-reading/  

 

Misinformation and disinformation. CSUSM. (n.d.). https://www.csusm.edu/elections/get-informed/misinformation.html  

 

Module 2: News, information, and problems of false information -. Webwise.ie. (n.d.). https://www.webwise.ie/teachers/connected/module-2-news-information-and-problems-of-false-information/  

 

O’Rourke, C. (2020, September 16). Pelosi Wouldn’t Automatically Become Vice President If Joe Biden Stepped Down. Politifact. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/16/facebook-posts/pelosi-wouldnt-automatically-become-vice-president/#sources  

 

Pew Research Center. (2024, October 10). Misinformation. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/media-society/misinformation/  

 

Register to vote in your State. Vote.gov. (n.d.). https://vote.gov / 

 

Resources for voters. AONL. (n.d.). https://www.aonl.org/vote/resources-voters  

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Savat, S. (2024, June 20). Reframing voting as “duty to others” key to increasing engagement, turnout. The Source. https://source.washu.edu/2024/06/reframing-voting-as-duty-to-others-key-to-increasing-engagement-turnout/  

 

UofL Research Assistance and Instruction (University of Louisville). (2020, August 18). Informed Voting. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnKeF5gm2CQ  

 

Voter information: Get informed & vote. The New York Public Library. (n.d.). https://qa-www.nypl.org/voter-information 

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Voter information. SAU 70. (n.d.). https://www.sau70.org/resources/voter-information

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What is lateral reading?. Scribbr. (n.d.). https://www.scribbr.com/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-lateral-reading/#:~:text=Lateral%20reading%20is%20the%20act,Find%20potential%20weaknesses

Online Radicalization 

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