Misinformation
Definition
Misinformation is false information that is spread unintentionally by individuals who believe it to be true.
Explain Like I'm 5
Imagine your friend tells you a story they heard, but it turns out not to be true. They didn't mean to lie; they just thought it was correct. That's like misinformation!
Digging Deeper
Misinformation can arise from various sources and technologies that allow fast spread of false information online. The impact of misinformation can overshadow trustworthy journalism and the truth, especially in a polarized environment where people tend to believe what aligns with their views. It is essential to address misinformation through educational campaigns rather than strict legislation to protect freedom of expression while combatting false narratives.
Applications
- Social media platforms implementing fact-checking tools to counter misinformation.
- Educational institutions teaching media literacy skills to students.
- News organizations promoting transparency in reporting practices and sources.
- Governments launching public awareness campaigns about identifying and avoiding misinformation.
- Technology companies developing algorithms to detect and label misleading content online.
Misinformation is information that is false, but the person who is disseminating it believes that it is true.
Misinformation is distinct to the quality of journalism and the circulation of trustworthy information which complies with professional standards and ethics. However, misinformation and its ilk are not new but rather have become increasingly more powerful as they are fueled by new technologies and rapid online dissemination. The consequence is that digitally‑fueled misinformation, in contexts of polarization, risks eclipsing quality journalism, and the truth.
Increasingly, the strategies to combat misinformation are more social and educational in their character in order to ensure that the right to freedom of expression is not violated by over-broad legislative provisions which criminalise or, in any way, chill expression. The current misinformation ecosystem, therefore, requires a critical assessment of the reasons for the dissemination of misinformation and the establishment of MIL campaigns.(3) In effect, combatting misinformation, at this stage, falls more within the realm of advocacy and education than it does litigation. The limited litigation in this space bears testament to this. However, this is likely to change as digital rights litigators engage in more strategic and test case litigation seeking to mitigate misinformation while protecting and promoting freedom of expression.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) strategies and campaigns
As a point of departure, UNESCO proposes MIL strategies and campaigns as a process which enables the detection of misinformation and a means to combat its spread, particularly online.(17) MIL is an umbrella and inter-related concept which is divided into:
- Human rights literacy which relates to the fundamental rights afforded to all persons, particularly the right to freedom of expression, and the promotion and protection of these fundamental rights.(18)
- News literacy which refers to literacy about the news media, including journalistic standards and ethics.(19) This includes, for example, the specific ability to understand the “language and conventions of news as a genre and to recognise how these features can be exploited with malicious intent.”(20)
- Advertising literacy which relates to understanding how advertising online works and how profits are driven in the online economy.(21)
- Computer literacy which refers to basic IT usage and understating the easy manner in which headlines, images, and, increasingly, videos can be manipulated to promote a particular narrative.(22)
- Understanding the “attention economy” which relates to one of the causes of misinformation and need for journalists and editors to focus on click-bait headlines and misleading imagery to grab the attention of users and, in turn, drive online advertising revenue.(23)
- Privacy and intercultural literacy which relates to developing standards on the right to privacy and a broader understanding of how communications interact with induvial identity and social developments.(24)
Learn More
Wikipedia link: Misinformation
Misinformation, Disinformation and Mal-information