Dis/Misinformation

Fake news. Alternative facts. Propaganda. Conspiracy theories. Today’s landscape of lies and half-truths is rich and overwhelming, permeating headlines and our social feeds. Mis- and disinformation are relatively new labels for an ongoing and increasingly perfidious problem that is driving wedges between people and within communities and exacerbating partisanship.

Although mis/disinformation has firmly taken root in the US, it is not just an American problem. Globally, bad actors use disinformation to deepen tensions at home and abroad and to achieve their preferred domestic outcomes. The global Covid-19 pandemic has furthered the mis/disinformation crisis, with desperate impacts for international communities. At this summer’s annual Global Studies Outreach workshop, we will consider mis/disinformation in a global context.