Select content on this guide was adapted from Creative Commons licensed-material shared by University of Washington Libraries. Thank you!
Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online is challenging even for experts. This guide defines terms including and related to misinformation and disinformation, while offering resources and information to avoid both reading and sharing it.
These are important information evaluation skills that you'll use for the rest of your life. The more aware you are of what false information is and how it spreads, the better you will be at avoiding it yourself - and helping your friends and family do the same.
CCBY4.0 image: First Draft News
| Term | Definition | Sources |
| misinformation | Misinformation misleads. It is false information that is communicated and spread, regardless of intent to deceive. | |
| disinformation | Disinformation deceives. It is false information that is intentionally crafted and spread to deceive via manipulated facts or narratives. It is a form of propaganda and can be "disseminated by a government or intelligence agency in a hostile act of tactical political subversion." |
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Dictionary.com |
| malinformation | Malinformation sabotages. It is factual information that is taken out of context and presented to cause harm. Harm is derived from either the true statement being shared out of context, or at a particularly vulnerable point for the target. |
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Iona University |
Disinformation and misinformation are effective. Our brains can easily make us believe that false information is real and true through something called "confirmation bias." Watch this video (5m20) by Above The Noise to learn more.
When people believe that false information is real and true, it can lead to poor decision-making and actions. When people make decisions or take action based on false information shared with an intent to cause harm, the results are dangerous and unpredictable.
Current events around elections, social justice, public schooling, healthcare, climate change, and many more issues are all impacted by false information. You and I are seeing this, in real time, in our communities.
Watch this video (3m19s) examining the characteristics and purposes of real news (factual journalism) and fake news. This video also touches on the implications on our society and democracy. Video by University of Louisville.