Misinformation and Disinformation - What You Need to Know

Misinformation and Disinformation - What You Need to Know

Misinformation and Disinforomation
Type: 
News

The effects of misinformation and disinformation (also called “fake news”) are damaging to public trust in institutions and elections, and pose a threat to democracy itself. Learn how to spot misinformation/disinformation and steps you can take to help stop it. 

Join our work to counter misinformation/disinformation!
Combating Misinformation is a priority for LWV Diablo Valley this year, and you can help! The Civic Engagement Committee needs more members to help prepare materials, make presentations, and educate all of us on how to tackle this problem which is undermining trust in our democracy. If you're interested, please contact Melanie Speir at civic.engagement [at] lwvdv.org.  
Volunteer - Hands holding letters
 
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What Are Misinformation and Disinformation? 

Misinformation: Inadvertently sharing false information without the intent to harm. 

Example: Your sister says that the latest local bill will raise taxes because that’s what she heard from a trusted friend. 

Disinformation: Intentionally sharing false information with the intent to harm. 

Example: Your sister lies that the latest local bill will raises taxes because she knows that’s the only way you won’t support it. 

Election 2024: Are You Informed or Influenced? 
The News Literacy Project recently presented an excellent program about how to skillfully navigate the news in this time of rampant media Mis/Disinformation. In case you missed it, see the links below to watch the video, download the transcript and slides, and view some of the highlights.
News Literacy Project webinar

Watch the recording
View/download the transcript
View/download the slide deck

Here are some highlights from the webinar: 
Seven standards of quality journalism
How to know what to trust
News Literacy Project's Election Hub
Tips to Google like a Pro
Examples from RumorGuard:
No, video doesn’t show evidence of voter fraud
Altered image features Klobuchar, Ellison with fabricated "Defund the Police" signs
Made-up statistics create misleading map of gun violence in red and blue areas
AI voice clone depicts Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praising Putin

How to Spot Misinformation and Disinformation

We’re all susceptible to mis- and disinformation, but the following steps will help you spot it:
  • Consider the source: Who’s sharing this information? Does the URL look strange? (For example, an ".edu" domain followed by ".co" or “lo” is often a fake site.) Check the About page for verifiable information. Is there evidence of partisanship or bias? (See AllSides' bias rating  which categorizes news outlets by ideological groups. The Pew Research Center shows trust levels of news sources by Ideological groups.) Is it an ad designed to look like news?
  • Check the date: It’s easy to get incensed over an article on Twitter...only to realize it was published years ago and no longer applies. 
  • Cross-check: Check trustworthy, reliable news sources to see if they are reporting the same information. Don't rely on social media as your news source - remember that social media and search engine algorithms often present stories that reinforce your current views, rather than a balanced perspective. Seek a variety of sources, from all sides of the political spectrum. (See AllSides Balanced News, which shows the day’s top news stories from the Left, Center and Right sources side-by-side so you can see the full picture.) 
  • Read past the headline: You know how tabloids post scandalous headlines and follow them with articles that are relatively mundane? Unfortunately, political outlets do that too. It’s easy to take a snippet out of context to make an article look like it will be more dramatic than it actually is. 
  • Question emotionally charged content: Is the person or post using emotionally manipulative language? That’s a red flag. Reliable sources let the facts influence your response, not emotional language. Check out some examples of loaded language. 

Fake news laptop

 

How to Stop Misinformation and Disinformation

When you spot inaccurate information, follow these tips to keep it from spreading:
  • Don’t engage: Every like, click, share, and comment contributes to the piece’s rate of engagement, which tells the website that they should show it to more people and tells the search algorithms to show you more content like this. Many outlets take advantage of this, posting headlines that they know will have you firing back a response – because good or bad, that response will promote their piece. (Reader Beware: Some people are paid in either money or political influence to produce and repeat fake news via social media and the internet.)
  • Don’t repeat bad information. Studies show that repeating bad information, even to debunk it, makes people more likely to remember the bad information and not your accurate information. Find ways to call out the bad information without repeating it.
  • Do share accurate trustworthy information. Without mentioning the wrong information, set the record straight by sharing the correct messages. (See Resource List.)
  • Do report and block when needed. If you see content online that you believe is false or misleading, you can report it to the host social media platform. (See How to Report Misinformation Online.) When you see disinformation related to elections and voting online, report it to ReportDisinfo.org. Block users you don’t know who share mis- or disinformation.
If someone you know is sharing misinformation, contact them privately if you want to discuss it. Your friends and family probably think the content they’re sharing is true and important, and that can make it tough to talk about. Be respectful and courteous, and use a supportive and positive tone. 

Conversation 2 people

 

Resources

Voting and Elections
Fact-finding
Non-partisan fact checking organizations verify information. Many of them focus on political issues. Snopes and Reuters verify many types of news content. 
Lessons, Curricula and Educator Resources
Other Resources:

Title page for Washington National Cathedral event

Additional resources:


As part of the National Governor’s Association Initiative “Disagree Better” – Gov. Cox (R-UT) and Gov. Moore (D-MD) had discussions with PBS’s Judy Woodruff in her America At A Crossroads series.  They also sat down for a longer conversation at the Washington National Cathedral for With Malice Toward None, With Charity For All (they start at minute 16).

 

Title page for News Literacy event on YouTube

In case you missed News Literacy Project’s recent  Boost your News IQ webinar, Election 2024: Informed or Influenced?, you can watch and share the recording here. You can download the webinar audio and chat transcript here. Download the slide deck here.
Some highlights:

This article is related to which committees: 
LWV Diablo Valley Civic Engagement Committee
League to which this content belongs: 
Diablo Valley