Abraham Lincoln once said, “Don’t believe everything you read online.” While this statement is clearly misattributed, disinformation often works stealthily. Identifying and combating disinformation is challenging, but you can learn how to spot and avoid it.
What are mis- and disinformation?
According to “‘Fake News,’ Lies and Propaganda: How to Sort Fact from Fiction,” a University of Michigan Library Guide, misinformation is inaccurate information shared without deceptive intentions. Disinformation is false information intended to deceive. According to Kristin Fontichiaro at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, there are seven types of mis- and disinformation:
- Satire or Parody: content without deceptive intent, but it can deceive others.
- False Connection: headlines, visuals, or captions that don’t align with the content.
- Misleading Content: content is used in a misleading way to frame an issue or individual.
- False Context: genuine content is shared within a false context.
- Imposter Content: reliable sources are impersonated.
- Manipulated Content: genuine content is manipulated to be deceptive.
- Fabricated Content: new content that is completely falsified and harms and deceives the reader.
Common Methods for Spreading Disinformation
Disinformation is often designed to be challenging to spot, but there are a few common methods for spreading it, courtesy of Kristin Fontichiaro of the University of Michigan School of Information:
- Watch out for pink slime, a prevalent practice where politically-leaning news outlets pose as local news sources while producing politically-bent articles without disclosing their political affiliations to readers
- Beware of confirmation bias. Avoid one-sided sources and seek out articles that disagree with your beliefs.
- Look out for common techniques for science denial, such as logical fallacies, fake experts, cherry picking, and conspiracy theories.
- Beware of manipulated data. Analyze the data; is the truth being exaggerated? Look at who’s funding the research. Is there a conflict of interest?
- Propaganda techniques are often employed to spread disinformation. Excessive claims of certainty, emotional appeals, personal attacks, suppressing contradictions, and manipulating words can all indicate disinformation.
Confirming Information
There are many resources and strategies available to verify information. Michael Caufield recommends 4 techniques in his book, Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers:
- Check for pre-existing fact-checking or reviewing of the material.
- Find the original source and determine its credibility.
- Read laterally. What is the reputation of the author and publishing source?
- Reset: If you get lost in a sea of information, start over with hat you know now.
Additionally, verify information by:
- Reading across the ideological spectrum: A lot of misinformation is politically-motivated. Adult Services Librarian Paula Drummond recommends AllSides, a website aimed at preventing misinformation by ranking news sources and articles by political bias.
- Taking stock of your news sources: “‘Fake News,’ Lies and Propaganda: How to Sort Fact from Fiction” reveals where common news organizations lie on the political spectrum and provides resources for evaluating news bias.
What went wrong?
It can be hard to accept that you’ve been deceived by misinformation. However, if you’re committed to having factual information, the best thing to do is educate yourself. Use the above resources to find out where you were misled. Is there a source leading you astray? Learn to read laterally and gather your information from multiple sources. Avoid confirmation bias by reading perspectives that don’t align with your own. Misinformation can be challenging to avoid, but it’s possible with the right tools.
To learn more, visit YDL-Michigan on Tuesday, September 27 at 6:30pm to attend Bias is All Around You with Dr. Erik Bean, author of Bias Is All Around You: A Handbook for Inspecting Social Media & News Stories.