How to mitigate misinformation
1 min read
Image caption: No one’s claiming to have a complete solution to the spread of misinformation. But researchers have begun to experiment with combinations of techniques that could help. Image credit: Dave Cutler (artist). Article by M. Mitchell Waldrop. PNAS – August 30, 2023.
The problem has gone by many names since the 2016 US presidential election first brought it to widespread attention—from “fake news,” to “infodemic” during the COVID-19 pandemic, to “misinformation” in a slew of academic studies. Regardless, this toxic mix of confusion, misdirection, manipulation, and outright lies now threatens both public health and our collective faith in democratic elections—not to mention any common understanding of truth. […]