Attack from Within

Outline

Attack from Within (2024) examines how disinformation weakens democratic institutions in the United States. Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade explains how false narratives spread, why people find them persuasive, and how they erode trust in elections, courts, and the press. She also proposes practical steps that citizens and institutions can take to protect facts and public debate.

• Disinformation weakens democratic institutions in the United States by spreading false narratives that people come to believe.
• False narratives spread in predictable ways, and understanding why people find them persuasive is the first step to resisting them.
• Trust in elections, courts, and the press erodes when misinformation goes unchallenged.
• Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor, writes about these threats from direct experience in the legal system.
• Citizens and institutions can take practical steps to protect facts and keep public debate healthy.

Barbara McQuade is an American lawyer, law professor at the University of Michigan, and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017, the first woman to hold the position.