Disinformation in the News

Disinformation and Decietfulness
Powerpoint Presentation

Many people hear something and believe it easily. With so many media outlets and ways to receive information, no one takes extra steps to further research something. During this pandemic, all television stations are talking about COVID-19. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc are flooding with information about this virus - but how do we know what is true and what is false? 

Disinformation is listed all the way to the left with the idea of "fake news" in the media. According to wikipedia, disinformation is defined to be 'false or misleading information that is spread deliberately to deceive". This false information is intended to mislead people (news viewers). Unlike misinformation, which is an honest mistake on someones behalf, disinformation is used purposely to portray false information. This idea is the difference of FAKE vs FACT. 

In this report from Forbes , it states that "Conservative and right-wing voices play an outsized role in spreading mis- and disinformation online about the coronavirus pandemic worldwide".The report also exclaims “Conservative groups have a larger total presence than liberal groups in the disinformation map, and the combined volume of activity from conservative groups is 27%, compared with 8% from left-leaning groups.” The information this was gathered from was from online posts like tweets and hashtags. In conclusion, the graphs and information gathered come to a conclusion that disinformation is not just a United States online phenomenon, but rather a "worldwide scourge." There is growing concerns over the disinformation regarding the corona virus.

The use of the term "scourge" is extremely strong. A scourge in the this term is something that causes pain and suffering to a huge number of people. The use of disinformation can cause destruction in many ways. In regards to the corona virus pandemic, hearing false information, for example, can cause people to get sick, or not take proper precautions. In New York, it has become required that people wear masks over their face when leaving home. Not everyone can purchase good quality masks and the government suggests using scarves and other items to cover up the nose and mouth. If there are videos online, on how to wear a "proper mask", that does not come directly from the government, or Doctors (like Dr. Anthony Fauci who is always besides Trump), people can risk their lives. (From my experience, I’ve seen many DIY face masks that can be seen as more “fashionable” rather than protective). People need to check sources before following things, or even spreading this information to others. This is a trying time, and people need to take CORRECT information to best protect themselves and others.

Disinformation can also hurt someones reputation. If a news station anchor spread something false, or misquoted someone, their reputation can be ruined. This can be a false spread of information which is dangerous for people, but can also hurt the people it is said to come from.

There is a lot of disinformation that is meant to mislead people and people must take it upon themselves to dig deeper and find true information.