Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines misinformation as "incorrect or misleading information," and that's probably the simplest way to put it. However, the reach and effects of misinformation are much more complex.
For one thing, misinformation often spreads by well-meaning people who just share incorrect information in an effort to help. You do not have to have malicious intent to spread misinformation; sometimes, we just remember things incorrectly. This fact is supported by studies into eyewitness memory.
According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, the misinformation effect is "a phenomenon [within the context of eyewitness memory] in which a person mistakenly recalls misleading information that an experimenter has provided, instead of recalling the correct information that had been presented earlier." Thus, misinformation can spread as an unintentional consequence of human communication.
Disinformation is a particular type of misinformation. According to Merriam-Webster, disinformation is "false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth." If misinformation well-meaning, disinformation is its devious and sinister cousin.
Disinformation is sometimes used synonymously with propaganda, although they do not necessarily always overlap. Like propaganda, disinformation is usually spread to promote (or suppress) a particular political agenda, often aiming to confuse or disorient the public on a single issue or a set of issues.
The term "disinformation " has its historical roots in the Russian dezinformatsiya, derived from the name of a KGB propaganda department. One such Russian disinformation campaign from this department aimed to convince people that the United States invented AIDS; another disinformation campaign in the 1980s pushed that the U.S. supported apartheid. In spite of the term's history, one should not assume that Russia is the only country to disseminate disinformation, or that the U.S. doesn't participate in disinformation campaigns itself.
From the United States Department of Defense
Snopes boasts being the "oldest and largest fact-checking site on the Internet." Living up to its former name, "Urban Legends Reference Pages," Snopes specializes in fact-checking rumors and myths that gain traction on the Internet.
PolitiFact is a non-profit run by the Poynter Institute. As the name implies, this site is dedicated to fact-checking claims in U.S. politics. Politifact is possibly most well-known for its Truth-O-Meter, which rates a claim's accuracy. In addition to national politics, Politifact offers fact-checking coverage at the state level.
Code of Principles: https://www.poynter.org/ifcn-fact-checkers-code-of-principles/
FactCheck.org is a non-profit website run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The site aims to investigate claims about U.S. politics. While politics seems to be the site's primary focus, they also fact-check internet rumors and claims about science.
Quizzes and Tutorials:
This quiz presents two images of faces -- one is real, and the other is computer generated. Can you tell which is which?
This tutorial comes from the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub.
Examine images of real social media content and decide whether it's from a legitimate account or an internet troll.
