Disinformation’s Growing Impact on Daily Life

In the battle against disinformation, veteran journalist JJ Green has stepped forward with a new weapon: knowledge. After three decades in journalism, the national security correspondent for WTOP-FM has distilled his expertise into “The Noise War,” a handbook designed to help everyday Americans navigate an increasingly complex information landscape.

Green, whose distinctive voice has become synonymous with trusted reporting in Washington D.C., recently sat down with WJLA ABC7 News Anchor Victoria Sanchez to discuss his motivation for writing the book and the urgent need for media literacy across generations.

“Here in the U.S. there’s just so much information and a lot of it is complete nonsense,” Green explained during the interview. “A lot of it is wrong. I mean, it’s not factual in any way, and that’s the way some organizations want it. They just want to hit you with so much that you don’t have time to process it.”

The respected journalist, who regularly contributes to WJLA ABC7 News, revealed that a pivotal moment in his career became the catalyst for completing a project years in the making. On October 15, Green joined dozens of fellow journalists who turned in their Pentagon access badges in solidarity, refusing to accept government-imposed reporting restrictions.

The gravity of this decision hit Green ten days later, when he awoke at 3:00 AM in what he described as “a cold sweat,” worried about the implications of his choice.

“What about the people that I had built this trust and credibility with over the years? What does that do to them?” Green recalled thinking. “I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t remembered as just this guy who was a radio reporter that just got bounced out of the Pentagon, along with a lot of other prominent people.”

Green’s reputation extends far beyond radio reporting. The back cover of “The Noise War” features endorsements from two military generals, a testament to the respect he has earned from high-ranking officials and the defense community.

At just 81 pages, the handbook is intentionally concise but powerful. Green describes it not as leisurely reading but as a practical field guide: “This isn’t that book that you read and then put on the shelf. It’s not a book that you escape with. This is a book that you lace up your boots after you get it, put it in your pocket and you hit the streets.”

The urgency of Green’s message becomes clear when he frames disinformation in stark terms: “Disinformation is the new weapon of mass destruction. It’s invisible, it’s instantaneous, it’s everywhere all at once and it doesn’t just twist facts. Disinformation corrodes trust and it fractures nations.”

What makes Green’s approach particularly valuable is his insistence that media literacy transcends political divides. When Sanchez noted that this issue cuts across party lines, Green readily agreed. “No party caused this problem that we have in the US. It’s individuals,” he emphasized, steering the conversation away from partisan finger-pointing toward practical solutions.

The handbook is structured into short, accessible chapters, each designed to strengthen readers’ critical thinking skills. Green targets a broad audience—”everybody from age 12 to retirement”—recognizing that disinformation affects all demographics in our hyper-connected world.

Green’s optimism shines through despite the daunting challenge. “We are the Kryptonite for disinformation,” he asserted confidently, positioning informed citizens as the ultimate defense against falsehood.

The journalist’s work comes at a critical juncture for media and democracy, as trust in institutions continues to erode amid proliferating sources of information and misinformation. By focusing on building individual capacity for discernment rather than simply lamenting the problem, Green offers readers agency in what often feels like an overwhelming media environment.

“It gives you a blueprint, a plan for how to do what you need to do to get to where you need to be when it comes to trusting people, trusting your institutions, and just trusting your news and information,” Green explained, underscoring the handbook’s practical approach to an increasingly vital skill set for the digital age.