Falsity Finding Guide
GAINING A NEW PERSPECTIVE
Disinformation
Disinformation is defined by dictionary.com as false information intended to mislead or deceive. It can be difficult to identify, but there are some steps that can be taken to determine if the information that you are reading is disinformation.
1.Does further research lead to conflicting results?
2.Is the information about a highly controversial issue?
3.Could the information be called a conspiracy theory?
4.Does the person stand to gain from spreading false information?
Here is a comical, easy to spot example of disinformation. Although it is titled "The Misinformant" from what we know about the differences of mis and dis information because of the fact that he is spreading the false information knowingly it should be titled "The Disinformant." He knowingly spreads false information about several issues:
1. He claims Obama planning to kill grandparents
2. He says that government run health care is a socialist plot to take decisions from doctors
3. He also says that President Obama was born in "Jerkistan."
The fact that he knowingly spreads this false information means he is spreading disinformation.
Here is another example of disinformation, but this happens to be in the form of government propaganda in World War I. This is image portrays a German soldier as an extra barbaric brute with a skull and cross bone bandana. Also depicted is the blood drenched knife and the "ONLY THE NAVY CAN STOP THIS" text at the bottom. These were all ways to demonize the German soldier as something worse than he was and make it appear as though only the Germans were partaking in the horrors of war.
In addition to the image, there would often be stories of atrocities like German soldiers cutting off the hands of Belgian babies.