Where’s the Lie?
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Why You Should Care
The last two election cycles have been plagued with “fake news” campaigns in hopes of swaying American election results in favor of specific candidates. And it is a phrase repeated over and over again. “Fake news.”
But what exactly is fake news? How can news be fake?
During the last two elections, the campaigns run by Russia and China are what are called “disinformation” campaigns. Disinformation is a counter-intelligence tactic used by governments worldwide to push propaganda agendas for an intended purpose. The U.S. has practiced disinformation for decades. However, the practice was started and perfected by the Soviet Union at the direction of Joseph Stalin. Disinformation campaigns are specifically designed to spread false information to an audience in order to deceive and potentially harbor mistrust of the target. This can include propagating conspiracy theories, fake or inflated statistics, and debunked or flat-out made-up research.
One of the largest sources of disinformation campaigns is social media. Twitter was able to detect 36,000 Russian bots tweeting false information during the 2016 election alone. Facebook is plagued by memes and propaganda sites spread by Russian counter-intelligence and media outlets (such as RT and the IRA) with the explicit aim of further polarizing American politics. One of the largest groups targeted by these campaigns has been American conservatives, who frequently share and push these memes and “fake news” as fact.
So, where does misinformation fall into this puzzle? Misinformation is the spreading of false or inaccurate information unintentionally. Modern disinformation campaigns rely on the public to spread misinformation amongst themselves. The lack of fact-checking by the general public and stubborn defiance by social media outlets to incorporate rigorous authentication of information will only continue to spread false information. Americans have become almost exceptionally susceptible to disinformation campaigns to a fault.
The moral of the story? Think before you share. Check your sources. Actually care if you are spreading real news or just propaganda that speaks to your beliefs. Be a responsible consumer of media.
