Barack Obama Takes On a New Role: Fighting Disinformation; The New York Times, April 21, 2022

 Steven Lee Myers and Cecilia Kang , The New York Times; Barack Obama Takes On a New Role: Fighting Disinformation

The former president has embarked on a campaign to warn that the scourge of online falsehoods has eroded the foundations of democracy.

"Mr. Obama’s approach to the issue has been characteristically deliberative. He has consulted the chief executives of Apple, Alphabet and others. Through the Obama Foundation in Chicago, he has also met often with the scholars the foundation has trained; they recounted their own experiences with disinformation in a variety of fields around the world.

From those deliberations, potential solutions have begun taking shape, a theme he plans to outline broadly on Thursday. While Mr. Obama maintains that he remains “close to a First Amendment absolutist,” he has focused on the need for greater transparency and regulatory oversight of online discourse — and the ways companies have profited from manipulating audiences through their proprietary algorithms."

On ethics: Obama went high, Trump goes low; Chicago Tribune, 1/18/17

Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune; On ethics: Obama went high, Trump goes low

"That fall, McCain tried to use the charge against his opponent, but the air had gone out of it. After the March session, the Tribune, which had criticized Obama's handling of the matter, editorialized that he had reaffirmed its confidence in his "professional judgment and personal decency" and set "a standard for candor by which other presidential candidates facing serious inquiries now can be judged."

Trump, on the other hand, has set a standard lower than that of any president in modern times. His business ties will serve as a constant temptation to him and those who want something from him or the U.S. government. And that's fine with him.

On his way to the White House, Obama understood his obligation not only to behave ethically but to be open with the voters. Trump has insisted on doing whatever he pleases while refusing to provide useful information about his activities.

Obama's view was that he should be careful to avoid scandal. Trump's view is that for him, there is no such thing."