The Misinformation Epidemic
How to Prevent the Spread of False Information
This Week …
Essential Tools to Detect Misinformation
Before We Go …
1. Don't Get Duped: Effective Ways to Counteract Misinformation
The field of strategic communications functions on the tenets of accuracy, timeliness, clarity, and truth. Misinformation undermines these principles and undermines trust with audiences, and in its worst form can destabilize democracy. In an era where misinformation spreads quickly on digital channels and through networks of people, distinguishing fact from fiction has become an imperative skill. This skill empowers individuals to navigate the complex media landscape, providing essential tools to combat falsehoods and promote truth.
Here are three resources to help stay informed:
Educating and empowering the individual to be more discerning consumers of news and information (news literacy) is foundational to strengthening our democratic society. News literacy helps people civically engage in more meaningful, authentic and empowering ways while also helping people hold news media accountable. In fact, news literacy is a precondition of a modern democratic society. But it’s not a panacea and must be accompanied by a holistic societal approach to the challenges of disinformation.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) produced this graphic to highlight tactics used by disinformation campaigns that seek to disrupt critical infrastructure in the United States.
FactCheck.Org: A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center
FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on the social media network.
2. Before We Go …
The Hill:
Jon Stewart Commentary:
