Information is everywhere. In a span of twenty-four hours, countless news stories, opinion pieces, and scholarly articles are published online. Thousands of traditionally-published and self-published books become available. And millions upon millions of pictures, podcasts episodes, and videos are uploaded. Some of this content is created by real people and some of it is created by Large Language Models based on what people prompt the Artificial Intelligence to create.
Although the core evaluation techniques haven't changed over time, some evaluation techniques don't work anymore. It is no longer enough to look a the website's domain, (.com, .net, .org, .gov, etc.) and base the credibility of the information of this one piece of information. This guide will introduce some methods and techniques for evaluating various sources of information. Not all information is created equal. Some information is more credible than others and some information is not credible at all. It is vital for individuals to be able to determine a the level of credibility and to parse out sources of mis-, dis-, and malinformation from potential reference material.
Misinformation
Misinformation is information that is partially or wholly incorrect, or incomplete. In the spread of misinformation, there is no intent to cause harm. Often, misinformation is simply outdated information from an older source.
Example: Common examples of misinformation occur during the onset of major events. As people are trying to figure out what is happening, unclear videos or vague tweets are spread and false bodies of information are built around them. Only after some time, when the situation as a whole becomes more clear, does the misinformation fade as the facts come to light.
Disinformation
Disinformation is information that is factually incorrect and spread in order to cause harm. It is intentionally created so as to mislead and manipulate individuals.
Example: In the months leading up to 2008 presidential election, articles were written claiming that Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen in an effort to discredit his candidacy and sway undecided voters.
Malinformation
Malinformation is information that is factually correct but taken out of context in order to cause harm. Like disinformation, the intention of spreading malinformation is to mislead and manipulate individuals.
Example: It is common for the information about individual events to be used as a basis to discredit entire systems or ideas. For example, many special-interest groups claimed that the large December 2022 snowstorm which covered much of the continental United States was undeniable proof that climate change as a whole was entirely false.