University of Kwazulu-Natal

Five Tips To Combat Misinformation And Disinformation

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
five tips to combat misinformation and disinformation

How can local government leaders counter the misleading and inaccurate messages that often dominate our information channels, especially after a disaster or when there’s a public health crisis? Explaining the problem and potential solutions, Eileen O’Connor, senior VP for Communications, Policy, and Advocacy, the Rockefeller Foundation, spoke at the National Homeland Security Consortium meeting in January 2024. Factors that have led to an increase in misinformation and disinformation include the ascendency of cable talk shows, new technologies, and the profit motive. The spree of buying and consolidating media outlets by large corporations has driven the effort to increase cash from ads to the bottom line. It also has led to cost reductions and the elimination of traditional reporting jobs, as well as newspapers themselves and news bureaus for those that remain. Broadcast news field coverage has often been replaced with talking heads and opinion shows for the same reason—it costs less.

As more people turn to the Internet for news and information, targeted ads and algorithms have become ways to spread false information or even to recruit terrorists. As a result of all these changes, people are less inclined to trust government and often turn to other sources of information in an emergency. To find those trusted messengers, O’Connor urges leaders to think about who they talk to on a daily basis, noting that it is important to build strong networks with a wide range of people... In an era when AI and ChatGPT are flourishing, the importance of media literacy is growing, she notes. Good news travels fast, but so does misinformation. Social platforms make it easier for people to connect, find entertainment, and engage and share news content.

About half of the adults in the United States get their news from social media. But with the convenience of accessing and sharing content, social media has also made it easier for misinformation and disinformation to spread. Misinformation is inaccurate information shared unknowingly, while disinformation is shared purposely with the intent to mislead. Both can threaten democracy and increase polarization in communities, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine. "People are more likely to share misinformation when it aligns with personal identity or social norms, when it is novel, and when it elicits strong emotions," the American Psychological Association said. Insights from PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference.

Patrice Smith is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism & Public Relations at California State University, Long Beach. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X. As lies and rumors spread across the internet, the terms “misinformation” and “disinformation” have become part of communicators’ lexicon. Although many professionals and consumers attribute this issue to the advancement of technology such as social and AI tools, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s special report, “Tackling Misinformation: The Communications Industry Unites,”... According to the PRSA special report, the terms misinformation, disinformation and malinformation are defined as: As public relations and communications professionals, we must uphold high ethical standards to effectively combat misinformation by adhering to the PRSA code of ethics.

The Pervasiveness of Misinformation in the Digital Age In today’s interconnected world, social media platforms have become primary sources of news for many. While these platforms offer unparalleled convenience in accessing and sharing information, they have also become breeding grounds for misinformation and disinformation. The ease with which false narratives can spread poses a significant threat to democracy and fuels societal polarization. Understanding the difference between misinformation, which is unintentionally inaccurate, and disinformation, which is deliberately misleading, is crucial in combating this digital epidemic. The American Psychological Association highlights the human tendency to share information that aligns with personal beliefs, evokes strong emotions, or appears novel, regardless of its veracity.

This inherent bias contributes to the rapid dissemination of false narratives. Navigating the Digital Minefield: Strategies for Identifying Misinformation To counter the proliferation of misinformation, individuals must adopt critical thinking skills and become discerning consumers of online content. Dr. Joshua Scacco, director of the University of South Florida’s Center for Sustainable Democracy, advocates for "information skepticism." This approach encourages individuals to verify information from multiple sources before accepting it as truth, particularly if... Scacco emphasizes the importance of skepticism without succumbing to cynicism, maintaining a balanced approach to online information.

This involves questioning the source of the information, its publication date, the author’s credibility, and the overall tone and context of the content. Critical Questions for Assessing Online Content Use these research-based strategies to ensure that truth prevails in your organization. In the spring of 2020, a dangerous threat was making its way around the globe. By March, it was being spread by tens of thousands of hosts per day. Most of its victims, unfortunately, did not realize what they had encountered.

Instead of taking precautions, many went on to become vectors themselves, passing it on and putting others at risk. What was this insidious force? It was misinformation. While misinformation, "fake news," and the "post-truth" era have been buzzwords for several years, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how harmful these sources of falsehood can become. After all, the virus and viral misinformation have a symbiotic relationship. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, put it this way: "We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic."

A recent study by Notre Dame faculty in the Center for Network and Data Science found that the outbreak of COVID-19 led to a stunning rise in news articles. In March, when news output on coronavirus peaked, 123,623 articles about the virus appeared in a single day. The research team discovered that less than a quarter (23.6%) of the articles published on the virus came from relatively unbiased sources. The sources that dominate the media landscape were those more likely to spread pseudoscience or even conspiracy theories. Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. Misinformation is nothing new.

It has, however, become ubiquitous and, in some cases, more difficult and time-consuming than ever to debunk. When we first started publishing in 2003 — which predated Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005) and Twitter (2006) — viral misinformation took the form of chain emails. Although they were a problem at the time, chain emails were to misinformation what the Pony Express is to ChatGPT. As the popularity of social media platforms has grown, so too has the scope of viral misinformation and the speed with which it travels. And this falsehood-fraught environment is increasingly where people get their news. In a survey of U.S.

adults last year, the Pew Research Center found that “just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media.” AI makes it easier to create disinformation, false or decontextualized content, and to spread it quickly through existing channels. (Photo: Canva) In an information ecosystem where misinformation circulates faster than fact-checkers can respond, increasingly precise and efficient tools are needed to verify content, detect hoaxes and understand how false narratives spread. The following list brings together five tools that media outlets and fact-checking organizations use for tasks ranging from tracking disinformation and analyzing its dissemination patterns, to recovering deleted content and analyzing audiovisual material.

Fact Check Explorer allows users to insert a phrase, piece of data or a link to check if someone has already verified it. (Photo: Screenshot) Google has developed an ecosystem of fact-checking tools, some for fact-checkers specifically and others for the general public. The flagship tool is Fact Check Explorer, a specialized search engine that compiles claim reviews from multiple fact-checking organizations worldwide, including Chequeado (Argentina), Bolivia Verifica (Bolivia), El Sabueso (Mexico) and Cotejo.info (Venezuela). Includes Resources, Fact-Checking and Talking To Your Children When we can’t agree on what’s true, we can’t agree on anything.

That’s why misinformation and disinformation (MDI) is so dangerous for our democracy – and why we all have a duty to combat it. In this guide, you’ll learn all about MDI: what it is, how to recognize it, and what to say to loved ones to keep them from falling for it. What Are Misinformation and Disinformation? First, let’s define our terms, misinformation and disinformation, often combined into MDI. We’re all swimming in an unprecedented flow of information thanks to the internet, AI, and social media. While these tools have broadened our access to knowledge, they’ve also created an environment where disinformation thrives.

Disinformation – the deliberate spread of false or misleading information – threatens systems that rely on shared facts. Here are 20 everyday ways to counteract disinformation and protect our nation’s fundamental democratic principles. Understand what disinformation is and how it spreads. Recognize common tactics, such as fake news, deepfakes, and manipulated images. Before sharing or believing information, check its source and credibility. Fact-check using reliable fact-checking organizations like Snopes, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact.

Don’t rely on a single source. Cross-reference information with multiple reputable sources to ensure accuracy. This is known as critical reading or reading horizontally.

People Also Search

How Can Local Government Leaders Counter The Misleading And Inaccurate

How can local government leaders counter the misleading and inaccurate messages that often dominate our information channels, especially after a disaster or when there’s a public health crisis? Explaining the problem and potential solutions, Eileen O’Connor, senior VP for Communications, Policy, and Advocacy, the Rockefeller Foundation, spoke at the National Homeland Security Consortium meeting in...

As More People Turn To The Internet For News And

As more people turn to the Internet for news and information, targeted ads and algorithms have become ways to spread false information or even to recruit terrorists. As a result of all these changes, people are less inclined to trust government and often turn to other sources of information in an emergency. To find those trusted messengers, O’Connor urges leaders to think about who they talk to on...

About Half Of The Adults In The United States Get

About half of the adults in the United States get their news from social media. But with the convenience of accessing and sharing content, social media has also made it easier for misinformation and disinformation to spread. Misinformation is inaccurate information shared unknowingly, while disinformation is shared purposely with the intent to mislead. Both can threaten democracy and increase pola...

Patrice Smith Is A Lecturer In The Department Of Journalism

Patrice Smith is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism & Public Relations at California State University, Long Beach. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X. As lies and rumors spread across the internet, the terms “misinformation” and “disinformation” have become part of communicators’ lexicon. Although many professionals and consumers attribute this issue to the advancement of tech...

The Pervasiveness Of Misinformation In The Digital Age In Today’s

The Pervasiveness of Misinformation in the Digital Age In today’s interconnected world, social media platforms have become primary sources of news for many. While these platforms offer unparalleled convenience in accessing and sharing information, they have also become breeding grounds for misinformation and disinformation. The ease with which false narratives can spread poses a significant threat...