What is misinformation?
Misinformation is incorrect or false information that is spread without an intention to be misleading.
What is disinformation?
Disinformation is incorrect or false information that is spread with an intention to be misleading.
For some interesting discussions of misinformation and disinformation (articles):
- John Oliver, "Misinformation: John Oliver discusses how misinformation spreads among immigrant diaspora communities..." Last Week Tonight with John Oliver [YouTube], October 11, 2021.
- Valerie Strauss, "Word of the year: Misinformation. Here's why," The Washington Post, December 10, 2018.
- Alexis C. Madrigal, "How to misinform yourself about the coronavirus," The Atlantic, January 28, 2020.
- Anisa Subedar, "The godfather of fake news: Meet one of the world's most prolific writers of disinformation," BBC, November 27, 2018.
- Judit Szakács, "The business of disinformation," Eurozine, April 24, 2020.
Technology scholar Danah Boyd on the spread of conspiracies online (video):
Quick check!
Want to make sure you understand the difference between misinformation & disinformation? Check your knowledge here.
