We all have information needs, both formal and informal. We try to meet these needs by interacting with information. Sometimes we intentionally seek information, and sometimes we come across it in everyday life. When we find ourselves with an information need, or a gap in information, we will likely experience some sense of uncertainty and even anxiety, so we do what we can to mitigate those feelings. Unfortunately, this can result in us filling that gap with incorrect and even harmful information. This kind of information is classified or labelled in different ways including misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and fake news. Some of these terms are likely familiar to you. This guide explores what these are, how we interact with them, and how to navigate them.
* Misinformation: Information that is incorrect or false, but that the disseminator believes to be true (Moraine Valley Community College, 2019; Wardle & Derakhshan, 2018)
* Disinformation: Information that is purposefully false and intended to mislead and/or influence opinion. It is often meant to cause harm in some way (Moraine Valley Community College, 2019; Wardle & Derakhshan, 2018).
* Malinformation: Information that is purposefully false and specifically created to harm a "person, organization, or country" (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2018, p. 43). It is more insidious than disinformation and can be characterized as criminal or even deadly (Moraine Valley Community College, 2019). Some note that mal-information may also consist of true information that is brought into the public sphere and/or shared, in order to cause harm (Shout Out UK, 2020).
* Fake News: This can include any of the three types of information listed above, but is generally defined as news that is false. Over the past several years this term has become very political and has also come to mean news that one does not agree with. Fake news is not new, it has been around for a long time. (Tattrie, 2020; "Fake News," n.d.; Moraine Valley Community College, 2019).
Fake News and Alternative Facts
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Misinformation and Mass Audiences
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