How To Identify Fake News: Home

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The spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation is of increasing concern in today's world. Learn how misinformation spreads and how librarians, through information literacy, can inoculate patrons against it.

Misinformation, Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories: Three distinct ideas

• Disinformation--False, intended to mislead, and often produced by governments and other state backed sources. Propaganda can be a form of disinformation
• Misinformation--any false belief, no matter what its source. Person sharing this information usually doesn't know it it false.
• Conspiracy Theories--may contain elements drawn from disinformation and/or misinformation, subject to spread through a variety of complex factors. Conspiracy theories are created and produced by governments and individuals, the powerful and powerless alike.