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News on Defining "Disinformation"
There is a big difference between impossible and improbable and between truth and lies. The importance of these differences is amplified when we’re talking about science and critical issues of public health such as during a pandemic. We are hugely dependent on science and it is critical to almost every aspect of our lives but […]
By E. Paul ZehrWashington State University researcher Porismita Borah is part of a project to study the most effective methods of combating misinformation online that recently received a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator. Borah, an associate professor in WSU’s Murrow College of Communication, joins a cross-disciplinary team undertaking the effort which includes researchers in […]
By WSU InsiderEvent featured image, but exclude link Event content Register here for the launch event for this highly anticipated event. News websites have financial incentives to spread disinformation, in order to increase their online traffic and, ultimately, their advertising revenue. Meanwhile, the dissemination of disinformation has disruptive and impactful consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic offers a recent […]
Call for Papers Political Influencers Special Issue Editors: Martin J. Riedl (University of Texas-Austin), Josephine Lukito (University of Texas-Austin) and Samuel Woolley (University of Texas-Austin) Abstract submission deadline: October 15, 2021 Full paper submission deadline: March 1, 2022 Disinformation-for-Hire and Click Farming around the World: Identities, Incentives, Infrastructures Special Issue Editors: Rafael Grohmann (Unisinos University, […]
By SageEarlier this year, David Lloyd, bishop of the Living Faith Church, told 50,000 people at one of his services in Ogun state that the Covid-19 vaccine was a ploy to kill Africans. The bishop informed his congregation that “they wanted Africans dead” an assertion that spread widely on social and traditional media, with other preachers […]
By Ishaya IbrahimThe Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international, nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences and related disciplines through a wide variety of workshops and conferences, fellowships and grants, summer training institutes, scholarly exchanges, research, and publications. Working with partners around the world to link research to […]
By Social Science Research CouncilThe most visible vaccine-skeptical public figures, the likes of Tucker Carlson or Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), understand this. They don’t need to spread demonstrable falsehoods. They can simply focus night after night on outlier cases of severe side effects. Or they can selectively present results of scientific studies or government communications in ways that seem […]
By Gilad EdelmanDo you have an idea about how to improve commitment to democratic principles that you would like us to test? Join the challenge! American democracy is under threat. Many Americans are willing to compromise on democratic principles for partisan goals. Some are even willing to resort to violence to help their side win. Extreme dislike […]
By Stanford UniversityVaccine hesitancy is an increasing problem at a time when, with the emergence of the highly contagious delta variant, compliance is more important than ever. As our leaders and public health experts struggle to find the best way to promote compliance, one thing is increasingly clear — condescension or assertion, or a sleeve of numbers […]
By Marc SiegelA discussion on how platform research to address mis/disinformation should be approached through a race-based lens, new platform research solutions and methods being pioneered and utilized by researchers of color, the unique challenges researchers of color face, and how philanthropy can better support and empower Black and Brown tech platform researchers to carry out their […]
Disinformation and misinformation have been broadly recognized among major modern threats. They affect societies and the functioning of democracies all over the world and, with the profusion of communication channels and advances in digital technology, they spread rapidly and threaten public goods, risk increased polarization in societies and limit the fundamental freedom to hold opinions […]