The lecture focused on disinformation, arguing that it
is a deliberate policy pursued by some governments in
an organized, orchestrated way to spread falsehood in
order to manipulate perceptions. Leventhal, in charge
of disseminating disinformation at the United States
Information Agency, argued that despite the end of
the Cold War, disinformation techniques were still
being employed by many former communist states,
in addition to a number of other nations. In the Gulf
region, Iran and Iraq have made active use of spreading
and placing disinformation, with the 1991 Gulf War
serving as a prime example.
It is now important to be aware of the use of
disinformation in order to be able to prepare proper
techniques to counter its effects.