CIVIX Explains: Forms of Misinformation

♪ (music) ♪

To combat false and misleading information

it can be useful to recognize
the different shapes it can take.

Here are five common forms
of mis- and disinformation

to look out for.

FABRICATED

A story or claim that is fictional
is called fabricated content.

People can invent stories
for political reasons

but the most common motive is money.

A website's owner benefits
from the advertising that appears

beside their content.

The more clicks they get,
the more money they make.

IMPOSTER

Imposter sites try to fool people
by imitating credible news organizations.

The URL and logo of a well-known site
may be changed just a little

so people believe
they are looking at the real thing.

The goal is to mislead people

into trusting
and sharing faulty information.

CLICKBAIT

A clickbait headline is designed
to provoke enough curiosity

that people can't resist clicking
to find out more.

Click bait can spark interest
by using exaggeration,

emotional language,

or creating suspense.

The reason behind click bait
is to earn money from ads.

MANIPULATED

Manipulated content is real information
that is altered to change its meaning,

such as a photo or video that is made
to depict something

not shown in the original.

Visuals are immediate and tend to appeal
more strongly to our emotions than words,

so it's an easy way
for misleading information to spread.

FALSE CONTEXT

False context is when a real photo
is paired with an inaccurate story.

This is one of the most common forms
of mis- and disinformation.

An unaltered image
can easily become misleading

with the addition
of a false headline or description.

Knowing the vocabulary
of information pollution

is an important step in becoming
skilled information consumers.

♪ (music) ♪