Fake News: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation

Sites that intentionally publish hoaxes and misinformation to drive web traffic rather than for a humorous purpose, as in news satire.

By Alan C. Miller | December 12, 2022 for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

By REBECCA BOONE, AP Wire, September 29, 2021

by Nahla Davies in CPO Magazine, September 23, 2021

By Craig Timberg, Ellen Nakashima and Tony Romm, in The Washington Post, on March 16, 2020. Misleading text messages claiming that President Trump was going to announce a national quarantine buzzed into cellphones across the country over the weekend, underscoring how rapidly false claims are spreading — and how often it is happening beyond the familiar misinformation vehicles of Facebook and Twitter.

By Scott Barry Kaufman in The Scientific American, on February 14, 2019. New research suggests both liberals and conservatives are motivated to believe fake news, and dismiss real news that contradicts their ideologies

by Benedict Carey, January 2, 2018. New York Times article reporting on the results of one research study that found fake news consumption is infrequent. Those over 60 are more likely to visit a fake news site, and people find most fake news via Facebook.

News coverage about Disinformations by National Public Radio, updated regularly.

from PolitiFact website: Over the years, we’ve talked to psychologists, researchers and other experts many times about how to reach people held in misinformation’s grip. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not about simply giving them more info. It’s about reaching them on an emotional level. And with those lessons in mind, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent video to the people of Russia in the war in Ukraine was a master class in how to get people to reconsider their views. We can all learn from it.

from the News Literacy Project (NLP): For the second season of Is that a fact?, we’re exploring the origins of false narratives and the harm they cause. We know that sharing misinformation is misleading and leaves people poorly informed, but we wanted to go deeper and explore how fictional information starts and then bubbles to the surface to misdirect the country’s civic and cultural discourse. Listen this season as we explore false narratives related to the country’s most important issues and events, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, school shootings, immigration, political parties and more

Presented by a security company, not a media outlet, yet this guide is useful and well researched. From the site: Misinformation and disinformation (MDI) presents a challenge to American and other democracies. In this guide, you’ll learn what MDI is, and how to protect yourself, your children, and your loved ones. In addition, we provide resources on fact-checking, prevention and reporting misinformation.

by Karen Yuan Matt Peterson in The Atlantic, January 9, 2018. Fake news isn’t new in America. Objective news is.