Disinformation

How it is used

Common in reports about coordinated online campaigns, fake accounts and manipulated media. People run, spread or are targeted by disinformation campaigns. Journalists should show evidence of intent before calling something disinformation.

Example sentences

1. Researchers traced the disinformation campaign to a network of fake accounts.

2. The fabricated letter was a clear piece of disinformation.

Common collocations

• disinformation campaign
• spread disinformation
• state-backed disinformation
• counter disinformation

Related terms

• misinformationFalse or misleading information that is spread without the intention to deceive, often by people who believe it is true.
• fake newsFalse stories made to look like real news reports; the phrase is also used, sometimes unfairly, to attack reporting that someone simply dislikes.
• deepfakeA video, image or audio recording made or changed with artificial intelligence so that a real person appears to say or do something they never did.
• debunkTo show with clear evidence that a claim, rumour, theory or image is false or misleading.

More terms: Fact-Checking and Verification

• fact-check
• verify
• correction
• reverse image search