First responders and crisis managers responding to Hurricane Helene, the Tesla explosion in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles wildfires have all had to deal with a common threat in three very different crises: rampant disinformation.
Disinformation is defined by the State Department as "false information purposely spread to influence public opinion or obscure the truth." It differs from misinformation, which is simply incorrect information. Misinformation can be the result of a disinformation effort – an audience can spread misinformation as the result of receiving disinformation.
The disinformation spread in the three disasters I cited above comes from three primary sources: individuals or groups looking to gain a political advantage and shape a narrative by skewing facts; state-sponsored trolls engaged in ongoing information operations intended to divide and discourage the American public; and influencers who are looking to maximize views of their content by posting sensational content that fits a deliberate narrative.
The first group seeks to gain influence and power. The second is state-sponsored propaganda seeking to undermine American unity and resolve. The last is looking for fame and money. Regardless of the motive, I want to make it clear where I stand on this: exploiting human suffering and deliberately distorting facts of a catastrophe for personal gain is vile, if not evil. Accepting and promulgating "alternative facts" because one likes to be a contrarian/rebel/nonconformist is at best naïve and at worst openly hostile to law enforcement and recovery efforts.
Disinformation is something my company (a defense contractor) works with, training military organizations to respond to it in operational environments. In these training scenarios, it is expected that hostile militaries, paramilitaries and terrorist groups will employ disinformation tactics to add noise and confusion to the battlefield.
It is incredibly depressing to me that in 2025, first responders are coping with the same noise coming from political figures, online influencers, and pundits, seeking the limelight and exploiting a tragedy to fundraise or get more views.
Even worse, sometimes disinformation itself creates a crisis. This summer, false claims from then-former President Donald Trump and then-Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (to be sworn in as President and Vice President of the U.S. on Jan. 20) about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating pets resulted in numerous bomb threats to that city. The Springfield mayor and governor of Ohio, both Republicans, repeatedly asked the GOP presidential ticket to stop making their false claims.
Vance defended his actions and acknowledged the falseness of his narrative: "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do."
You'll see now when a major disaster occurs, local responders often create a website correcting false claims. Incident commanders now address the lies being told on social media one by one, proactively, in their press conferences. These activities take time and funds away from saving lives and property, and from helping residents access information about recovery resources.
But in the thrill of the crisis, who cares about that when you can see the "real" story with sensational images? Being one of the first to share that "insider scoop" is certainly more important than risks being taken by the first responders on the scene. And the victims of the calamity certainly aren't your problem.
Take it from the internet, they probably had it coming.
Merritt Hamilton Allen s a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appeared regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican for 36 years, she became an independent upon reading the 2024 Republican platform. She lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run one head of dog, and one of cat. She can be reached at
