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Information and Media Literacy: How to Spot the Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Ugly

Information and media are everywhere, and it can be hard to keep up with, let alone to ensure the news you are receiving is accurate. This guide is designed to encourage you to examine the information you receive and feel you can determine its quality.

What Is Disinformation?

Misinformation and disinformation have a lot in common:

 

"7 Types of Mis- and Disinformation" by First Draft is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED.

The biggest difference between misinformation and disinformation can be seen in the intent: while misinformation is distributed without intent to confuse or mislead, disinformation is spread with knowledge of its incorrectness and intention. First Draft's infographic offers several possible reasons for disinformation including provocation, political motivation, financial gain, or propaganda. 

 

 

"Misinformation Matrix" by First Draft is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED.

In addition to the disinformation-focused pages in this guide (Altered Images and VideoArtificial Intelligence [AI]Clickbait, and Fake News), the following offer a closer look into aspects of disinformation today: