Where's the Lie? How to Spot and Fight Disinformation

by Kristin Satterlee

Put bluntly, disinformation is lies. Joe Cardillo, Disinformation Defense Director at ProgressNow New Mexico, says, “Disinformation is just patently false.” Why would someone spout lies like that? Cardillo says there are three major reasons: to get your money, to get you to do something (like vote a certain way), or to get you to not do anything—to believe your voice doesn’t matter, so you’re too discouraged to make a difference.

Disinformation vs. misinformation

Disinformation and misinformation are a lot alike. The difference is the intent of the person who puts it out there. Someone advertising a “deal” for $10 Balenciaga sneakers, not intending to send anything to anyone, is sowing disinformation. The person who tells a friend, “You can get a pair of Balenciagas for ten bucks!” is spreading misinformation, even though they don’t mean to cause any harm.

Don’t trust your gut

Was that thing you just saw really upsetting? That might be a clue that something’s not right. There’s plenty in the news every day to enrage us, but if it “confirms your beliefs, or plays to your emotions,” that’s one of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ red flags that you might be looking at disinformation.

Other warning signs include: failure to cite experts, lack of clarity between fact and opinion, scapegoating people or groups, and caginess about the info’s original source. Be wary if the person making the claim has a financial or political stake in it, is a known bad actor, or is posting from a suspicious account (like a new account with lots of followers).

Replace, don’t repeat

Most importantly, don’t become a spreader of misinformation yourself. Do not share, even if you type a warning like “This is just wrong.”

The “illusory truth effect” means that the more times people hear something, the more they remember it as true—even if they hear it while being told it’s wrong. So, Cardillo says, “We try to live by the mantra: ‘Replace, don’t repeat.’”

For instance, if you notice misinformation spreading about voter fraud, Cardillo suggests that you say “something like, ‘We all believe that access to voting is an important part of being an American… and voter suppression is not okay.’” This uses a shared value to disrupt the claim.

Be collective

Sometimes, though it may be hard, the best thing to do is nothing. Cardillo says, “If it's just sort of one person shouting, online or elsewhere… you might [accidentally] amplify it. Pause and be like, how far is this spreading?”

You don’t have to do it alone. Cardillo points out that “It's not on you to solve this crazy thing that you're seeing.” You can report it to the platform, or to the cohort of the person spreading the false information.

And you can enlist your community. For instance, “if it's… designed to impact the business community, checking in with other business owners is so important,” Cardillo says. “Be collective.” Band together with others who might be harmed by a lie, and spread the truth.

Learn more about ProgressNow New Mexico's disinformation defense work at progressnownm.org/category/disinformation-defense.