Misinformation
Spreading misinformation about the conflict helps to create chaos and sow fear. Oftentimes, misinformation is perpetuated through propaganda from governments and individuals who have political, economic, or attention-seeking motivations. Social media plays an important role in disseminating information during conflict. It can be used to flood feeds with mis-and-disinformation, with out of context videos, images, and posts that users claim are coming from Israel and Gaza. To combat this, readers and information consumers need to develop their digital and information literacy skills.
First ask yourself the following:
- Who is behind the information?
- What's the evidence?
- What do other sources say? Can you find other sources that do not represent a typical perspective you would seek?
- What is the purpose of this information?
- What am I feeling looking at or reading this information?
Then, try lateral reading. This involves:
- Opening another tab and searching for information from other sites. Use multiple sources to verify.
- Do a keyword search of the website/source to find out more information
- Compare and contrast information to determine if a source is reliable.
- Use "click restraint" to avoid clicking on the first result. Scroll through the results until you find a source that looks credible.
Resources for Navigating Misinformation
Below are links to help you sort through mis-and-disinformation as well as a news story from NPR and podcast from Brookings.