Misinformation

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread unintentionally. It is distinguished from disinformation by motive in that misinformation is simply erroneous, while disinformation, in contrast, is intended to mislead.[1]

Adam Makkai proposes the distinction between misinformation and disinformation to be a defining characteristic of idioms in the English language.[2] An utterance is only idiomatic if it involves disinformation, where the listener can decode the utterance in a logical, and lexically correct, yet erroneous way. Where the listener simply decodes the lexemes incorrectly, the utterance is simply misinformation, and not idiomatic.

Damian Thompson defines counterknowledge as "misinformation packaged to look like fact."[3] Using the definition above, this may refer to disinformation, as the motive is deliberate and often pecuniary.

Contents

See also

It is said that the governments spread disinformation as a way to stop the public knowing the truth

References

  1. ^ Francois Nel (2005). Writing for the Media in Southern Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 57. ISBN 0195784146. 
  2. ^ Adam Makkai (1970). "Statistical Aspects of Phrasal Verb Idioms in Modern English". Proceedings of the Xth international congress of linguists, Bucharest, 1967. pp. 969–972. 
  3. ^ Thompson, Damian (2008). Counterknowledge: How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History. Atlantic Books. ISBN 1843546752. 

Further reading