Blogging About Communication

If information is power, how does it differ from misinformation and disinformation?

INFORMATION

Information is an assemblage of data about someone or something. Information has the power to inform and persuade. We obtain it from investigation, study, and learning. We share it by communicating. The sharing of information that is valid and accurate enhances knowledge, facilitating better decision-making.  It also helps to protect us against misinformation and disinformation.

MISINFORMATION

Misinformation is the unintentional dissemination of inaccurate or misleading information. Committed accidently, its intention is not to harm. The mislabeling of a caption, an erroneous date, a bungled translation, are examples of misinformation; they often are easily corrected.

DISINFORMATION

In contrast to misinformation, disinformation is the conveying of false information fabricated deliberately, with the intention of misleading and deceiving others. When communicated purposefully, the misstating and misrepresenting of facts has a chilling effect on democracy. It also often results in the making of bad decisions and the implementation of poorly conceived actions

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The Big Lie

How does disinformation work? The conveying of disinformation starts with the presentation of a lie—a big lie, not a small falsehood. The false message, frequently stated as an either-or fallacy, is repeated often, contributing to wide divisions among people—those who accept the disinformation as being true, and those who do not. In part, disinformation owes its effectiveness to media manipulation and the purveying of AI fakes. The communication of an intentionally created conspiracy theory, the spreading of a rumor known to be false, the manipulation of verbal and visual content, are examples of disinformation.

The Damage Done

We witnessed disinformation at work when initial protests against immigration raids conducted by ICE occurred in Los Angeles and spread out across the country. A barrage of misleading text, videos, and photographs were used to spread false information, stoking anger and outrage in those who accepted them as true representations of fact. Quotes were fabricated suggesting the demonstrations and demonstrators were part of a secret plot. Scenes from action films and past disturbances were purposely presented as depicting what actually was happening in the moment. This contributed to false impressions of the situation being delivered directly into the minds of viewers, and bolstered beliefs that the situation was out of control. The array of imbedded false beliefs functioned much like a self-fulfilling prophecy—where what you believe to be true, comes true. As the saying goes: Create the thinking and let it build, and the mind becomes that which it contemplates.

YOUR GAME PLAN

Although efforts to verify the facts have a hard time keeping up with disinformation’s spread, this week’s game plan calls on you to take time to distinguish information from disinformation. Do your part not to allow disinformation to discredit the legitimacy of truthful information. Look at the source of the content. Review the whole story—not just the part presented. Determine if the content or the source is an imposter—not the real thing. Ask yourself what the source wants you to do with the content? What motives does the source have for tapping into your deepest fears, values, and beliefs? Do your own content and image fact-checking by searching fact-checking and image verification sites. Confirming the truth is well worth your time.