Follow this authorCatherine Rampell's opinions

Don’t get me wrong, disinformation is still spreading across social media (about Gaza, among other issues) and encouraging public pugilism. And adversaries abroad are still planting or at least amplifying some of the most inflammatory content. But Americans are authoring and sharing it, too, especially when the material plays to their political biases.

Meanwhile, political leaders and pundits have exploited these vulnerabilities. They learned that there’s great political (and fundraising) value in selectively quoting the other side or in the humiliating, viral social media “dunk.” Not unlike our adversaries abroad, U.S. leaders seek clout by becoming conflict entrepreneurs.

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To wit: The recent re-escalation of campus conflict began because Congress called Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to testify about her handling of campus antisemitism.

As a regular target of antisemitism, I agree the subject is worthy of public scrutiny. But lawmakers were out to shed heat, not light. At the hearing, both Republicans and Democrats engineered viral videos by berating Shafik for personnel decisions and the intricacies of the student disciplinary process. Perhaps these politicians should’ve run for openings on Columbia’s board of trustees instead of Congress.

Unsurprisingly, the day after Shafik’s public flagellation, Columbia brought in police to clear pro-Palestinian student encampments. Alas, this only martyred the students and inspired copycat protests nationwide.

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In the days since, any hope of civil discourse has disintegrated. Arrests and tear gas have been deployed across other campuses. Classes and commencements have been canceled. Damning, highly shareable footage shows some protesters don’t actually know what they’re protesting. Others have called for the killing of Jews. Meanwhile, in some instances, cops have violently manhandled peaceful students and faculty.

Outsiders have eagerly entered the brawl. In New York and elsewhere, non-student agitators have shown up to heckle students or police. Federal lawmakers such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and........

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