Misinformation Across Borders

False stories are not new: in 1835 the New York Sun published a hoax claiming life had been discovered on the Moon. But global digital networks let misinformation spread faster and further than ever. Researchers distinguish misinformation, false information shared without intent to deceive, from disinformation, falsehoods spread deliberately. In 2018 rumours spread on WhatsApp in India were linked to mob attacks, leading the company to limit message forwarding.

Oxford Dictionaries chose post-truth as its word of the year in 2016, reflecting concern that emotions often outweighed facts in public debate. Fact-checking organizations, connected through networks such as the International Fact-Checking Network founded in 2015, work across borders. Researchers at Stanford have shown that lateral reading, checking what other sources say about a source, helps people evaluate information. Media literacy has become a key skill for citizens of a connected world.