LibGuides: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News: Oh My!: Definitions and Examples 📌

Defining and Differentiating Between Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News

It's a complicated topic, where can I start?

There is a lot of false information out there, and "media experts define fake news as factually false information, delivered in the context of a supposedly true news story and deliberately designed to deceive readers" and misinformation generally "describes falsehoods of fact that are spread either purposely or accidentally" whereas disinformation "always refers to information specifically designed to mislead or deceive consumers to influence their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors."

"Fake News on Social Media." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/OBOYIA996440220/OVIC?u=piedmont_tcl&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=b5bae5b8. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

Take a look at some short articles on fake news, misinformation, and disinformation from the library's Credo Reference Database:

fake news or false news
Helicon, editor. “Fake News.” The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, Helicon, 2018.
disinformation
“Disinformation.” Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, by James Watson and Anne Hill, 9th ed., Bloomsbury, 2015.

The Fake News on Social Media topic overview and sources in the library database Opposing Viewpoints in Context is also a great place to look for information:

Fake News on Social Media (Opposing Viewpoints in Context)
Read the topic overview and find a variety of sources--academic journals, news, websites, statistics, and more.

Books

Has "Fake News" become a weaponized term?

After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News--Weaponized Term

“After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2020, https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=101298&xtid=206150.

Clemson University Researchers' Work at the Media Forensics Hub Gains National Recognition in News Coverage

Between Russia and Elon Musk, German Voters Face a ‘Dual Front’ of Disinformation
Katrin Bennhold and Steven Lee Myers, NYT, Feb. 13, 2025
Spate of Mock News Sites With Russian Ties Pop Up in U.S. The fake news organizations, experts say, represent a technological leap in the Kremlin’s efforts to spread false and misleading narratives.
Meyers, Steven Lee. "Spate of Mock News Sites with Russian Ties Pop Up in U.S." New York Times [New York City], 7 March 2024.

Examples: Natural Disasters, Healthcare, Politics

Los Angeles, CA, Wildfires 2025

Fighting Fires—and the Rumor Mill—as L.A. Burns
Calvert, Scott, and Joshua Chaffin. "Fighting Fires--and the Rumor Mill--as L.A. Burns." Wall Street Journal [New York City], 11 January 2025.

Hurricanes Helene & Milton 2024

Misinformation flourished online after Helene hit South Carolina. Here's how to spot it.
Chester, Jonah. "Misinformation flourished online after Helene hit South Carolina. Here's how to spot it.." Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC), sec. A, 6 Oct. 2024, p. 005. NewsBank: Access World News.
Bizarre Falsehoods About Hurricanes Helene and Milton Disrupt Recovery Efforts: Experts warn that weather-related disinformation can rapidly escalate into real-world risks and distract from aid.
Hsu, Tiffany, and and Stuart A. Thompson. "Bizarre Falsehoods About Hurricanes Helene and Milton Disrupt Recovery Efforts." New York Times [New York City], 10 October 2024.
Meteorologists Face Harassment and Death Threats Amid Hurricane Disinformation: Weather experts say the spiraling falsehoods, especially claims that the government is creating or controlling storms, have gotten out of hand.
Selig, Kate. "Meteorologists Face Harassment and Death Threats Amid Hurricane Disinformation." New York Times [New York City], 14 October 2024.

Additional Examples

Even Disinformation Experts Don’t Know How to Stop It
Hsu, Tiffany, and Stuart A. Thompson. "Even Disinformation Experts Don't Know How to Stop It." New York Times [New York City], 14 July 2024.
Health Misinformation Is Evolving. Here’s How to Spot It.
Bloom, Dani. "Health Information is Evolving. Here's How to Spot It." New York Times [New York City], 16 March 2024.
Covering the U.K. Riots Amid Disorder and Misinformation
Otis, John. "Covering the U.K. Riots Amid Disorder and Misinformation." New York Times [New York City], 9 August 2024.
Beijing-Backed Trolls Target U.S. Voters as Election Nears: An account posing as a U.S. conservative news source attracted millions of views on TikTok
Volz, Dustin. "Beinjing-Backed Trolls Target U.S. Voters as Election Nears." Wall Street Journal [New York City], 3 September 2024.
Foreign TikTok Networks Are Pushing Political Lies to Americans: A flood of anti-Trump videos, generated with the help of AI, traced back to a web of overseas accounts
Wells, West, & Volz, WSJ, Aug 8, 2024
Left-Wing Misinformation Is Having a Moment
Hsu, Tiffany, and Stuart A. Thompson. "Left-Wing Misinformation Is Having a Moment." New York Times [New York City], 3 September 2024.
Raw Milk’s Risks Don’t Stop Right-Wing Commentators From Defiantly Pushing It
Nerkar, Santul. "Raw Milk’s Risks Don’t Stop Right-Wing Commentators From Defiantly Pushing It." New York Times [New York City], 24 May 2024.
Bots Linked to China Target Republican House and Senate Candidates, Microsoft Says
Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 10/23/2024

Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News: Oh My!: Definitions and Examples 📌

Defining and Differentiating Between Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News

Books

A History of Fake Things on the Internet

Trolling Ourselves to Death

How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict

Seeing Red: Russian Propaganda and American News

Conspiracy Theories in the Time of Covid-19

Has "Fake News" become a weaponized term?

Clemson University Researchers' Work at the Media Forensics Hub Gains National Recognition in News Coverage

Examples: Natural Disasters, Healthcare, Politics