MODULE B This module is second of four

parts of the
Misinformation & Basic Learning Course on
“Dealing with Disinformation
Disinformation Amidst the Infodemic”. This
module contains two (2)
lessons:
OBJECTIVES 1. What makes misinforma-
By the end of this module, the student will be able to... tion and disinformation
better terms to use than
• explain the problem with the use of the term “fake news” “fake news”?
• compare and contrast misinformation and disinformation
2. What are the seven types
• illustrate how networked disinformation operates in the country
of mis-/disinformation?
• investigate the seven most common types of mis-/disinformation

HEADS UP! Lesson 1 | What makes misinformation and disin-

Think of 3 common formation better terms to use than “fake news”?
reasons why someone
intends to spread There’s a reason why we have been using the term “fake news” inside
“fake news”. Example: quotation marks. It’s because in spite of the popular use of the term,
Someone wants experts actually recommend the public NOT to use it. They argue that “if
to destroy another it’s fake, it’s not news” which means the words “fake” and “news” are not
person’s reputation. supposed to go together. Moreover, people’s understanding and use of
the term has become vague and varied through time. “Fake news” has
been used to label many different kinds of content from simple lies to
rumors to outdated information to propaganda.
Some “fake news” are not completely ‘fake’; some are just misleading while
some are genuine but used out of context. Also, most content that is decep-
tive in some way are not made to look like news at all (e.g. memes, tweets,
videos, etc). To add to these, the term “fake news” has been weaponized; it
has become a term used by politicians and other groups to attack and ques-
tion the credibility of many professional news media around the world.
So, to avoid the confusion that comes with the use of the term “fake
news”, we recommend using the terms Misinformation and Disinfor-
mation. Collectively, Dr. Claire Wardle, co-founder and leader of First
Draft, refers to these as the Information Disorder -- “the many ways our
information environment is polluted.”

Disinformation vs Misinformation
You may have heard these terms used interchangeably to talk about the
issue of the infodemic. However, it is important to be able to distinguish
them to understand how they are created and how they spread differently.
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 MODULE B - Lesson 1 What makes misinformation and disinformation better terms to use than “fake news”?

VOCABS Disinformation Misinformation

When people intentionally When people share
propaganda: selective
presentation of information,
create false or misleading disinformation without
persuasive framing, and information to make money, realizing that it is false
use of emotional appeal to have political influence, or misleading, often
forward a particular agenda
(white propaganda uses
damage someone’s because they are
accurate, albeit selectively reputation, or maliciously trying to help.
presented, information, from cause trouble or harm.
accurately identified sources,
whereas black propaganda
uses inaccurate or deceptive
information, in which the So, how does disinformation and misinformation differ? Just one thing:
source of the information is INTENT TO HARM. While misinformation and disinformation have more or
obscured or misrepresented)
less the same harmful effects, they are spread NOT for the same reasons.
weaponization: (of “fake People who spread misinformation are those who are just misinformed;
news”) use of fake news by
they have no intention to deceive or do harm to others. This makes them
politicians to undermine
independent media and slightly less guilty compared to those who spread false or misleading
trust in journalism; (of social information with clear intent to harm (i.e. disinformation).
media/internet) proliferation
of large-scale propaganda Moreover, it is important to note that, unlike misinformation, disinfor-
and mass manipulation
techniques disseminated mation operates in an orchestrated manner; meaning, there are
through the Internet and organized, coordinated, and well-funded systems that run it. Political
social media disinformation, to be exact,
orchestrated: (adjective) is run by professionals. It is a
with every detail very vast network that connects
carefully planned, sometimes
fake account operators to
secretly
digital influencers all the way
to the chief architects in the
advertising and PR (public
relations) industries. This
Tweet your shows that disinformation
thoughts. In the is a much more complex
simplest way you and grave problem than
can, as if you are misinformation (i.e. making
talking to an 8-year- an honest mistake of
old, explain why sharing false information).
using the terms Putting them both under the
mis-/disinformation umbrella term “fake news”
is better than “fake blurs this distinction, and
news”. Tweet us does not help us in crafting
at @ootbmedialit the right solutions to our
and use the hashtag problems.
#IWASFAKE.
Image source: [Link]
architects-disinformation-philippines-study

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 MODULE B - Lesson 2 What are the seven types of mis-/disinformation?

HEADS UP! Lesson 2 | What are the seven types of mis-/

Think of 3 of the
most important
disinformation?
qualities of effective
mis-/disinformation. Within the two (2) main categories of the Information Disorder (Misinforma-
Example: It must be tion and Disinformation), you will commonly find seven (7) specific types
very well edited. of content according to First Draft. This will help you understand the com-
plexity of the online information environment. This will also show you that
there is a wide spectrum that exists between what is true and what is false,
between “fake” and “not fake”.

The 7 Types of Mis-/Disinformation

1. Satire. Satire is a literary tech-
nique that employs humor, irony,
or exaggeration to expose flaws
and criticize individuals, govern-
ments, or society itself. Although
satirical pieces are meant to be
humorous, its greater purpose is
often constructive social criticism.
The problem is when satire is used
to strategically spread rumors and
conspiracies. When challenged,
it can be simply shrugged off “as a
A satirical piece by AdoboChronicles, a
VOCABS joke”, something not meant to be Philippine satirical news website, makes
taken seriously. Furthermore, satire the claim that the government has ordered
can also be dangerous when from Filipinos aged 21-59 to be quarantined.
rumor: a story or statement This is an example of a satirical piece of
in general circulation its original source, it gets spread misinformation that has the potential to give
without confirmation or online and turned into screenshots the wrong information for those unaware of
certainty as to facts; gossip or memes, losing its original con- the satirical purpose of the article.
or hearsay
text in the process .
conspiracies (or
conspiracy theories): 2. False connection. Clickbaits are the best examples of the use of ‘false
an attempt to explain connection’ -- sensational language or imagery used to drive ‘clicks’. This
harmful or tragic events as
the result of the actions of is when you encounter a headline or an image designed to capture your
a small, powerful group. attention, but when you click through it, the link leads you to a content
Such explanations reject that is of no value to you or content that sells you an item or service. We
the accepted narrative
surrounding those events can’t expect media organizations to stop using clickbait techniques, after
all, they need clicks. Our task as readers is to be wary of them as they often
click: act of selecting an
option on an electronic
trigger our emotion only to drive traffic on their websites.
interface by pressing a
button or touching a screen

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 MODULE B - Lesson 2 What are the seven types of mis-/disinformation?

3. Misleading content. What 5. False context. When genuine information is shared

counts as ‘misleading’ can be varied out of its original context such as when old news stories are
and hard to define, but it usually in- re-shared in present time, it can be very dangerous. Sharing
volves omitting pieces of information information in its
to tell a story in a certain way (i.e. crop- proper context is very
ping photos to change its message, important because
choosing statistics selectively). This the context (i.e. the
is also called ‘framing’. Even the most time, place, situation)
advanced technology cannot easily within which an event
detect misleading use of information or news story existed
because it involves contextualization helps explain the
and nuance. Meaning, it requires our event. Sometimes, it
brains to analyze the whole story or is only a plain case of
the bigger picture to judge whether a misinformation where
content intentionally misleads or not. a person mistakenly
An edited video clip makes the false claim re-shares an old
4. Imposter content. We always that an OFW in Saudi Arabia was beheaded story. Other times,
like to employ mental shortcuts to after testing positive for COVID-19. The original
the purpose is more
footage inserted was from a 2015 report by
help us understand information. One GMA, shared in false context by re-uploading deliberate: to mislead
very powerful shortcut is seeing a the video with the title “OFW, pinugutan sa the people by sharing
brand or person we already know and Saudi Arabia 24 Matapos mag Positive sa sakit
information in a
na Cov....” The video has since garnered more
trust. When we get information com- than 200,000 views on YouTube. different context.
ing from trusted brands or people, we
are not as doubtful. But the problem
is, it is very easy to make fake ac- 6. Manipulated
counts and pretend to be someone content.
else online. Imposter content is false Manipulated content
or misleading content that claims to is genuine content
be from established brands, organiza- that is altered or
tions, or personalities. edited to change the
message. It is not
completely made-up
or fabricated. Many
people fall for this
kind of manipulation
because most of us
only glance on images
or captions while
scrolling down our An edited screenshot of an advisory with the
phones. As long as it logo of the Civil Service Commission indicated
This is a news card from ABS-CBN’s social fits a story and is good that those who were scheduled to take the
media pages that was edited. It is an example civil service exam (CSE) on March 15, 2020
of imposter content where the credibility of a
enough to ‘look real’, are deemed “automatically passed” due to
news organization like ABS-CBN was used to people may share it. the COVID-19 crisis. The Civil Service made no
spread misinformation. such announcement.

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 MODULE B - Lesson 2 What are the seven types of mis-/disinformation?

7. Fabricated content.
Fabricated content is anything that
is 100% false. This is the only type of
content that we can really consider
as purely ‘fake’. Staged videos,
made-up quotes, and fake websites
fall under this category. ‘Deepfakes’
or ‘synthetic media’ are fabricated
media produced using Artificial
Intelligence (AI), which usually
Various edited quote cards or graphics showing famous personalities and
combine different elements of video fictional characters praising President Duterte have been circulating online.
and audio to create ‘new’ content These quotes are completely made up with no source or other news report
verifying these personalities’ statements.
that never actually happened.

VOCABS

spectrum: selective
presentation of information,
persuasive framing, and use of
emotional appeal to f

Tweet your
thoughts. Is there
a way to prevent
satirical content
from being
harmful? How?
Tweet us at @
ootbmedialit and
use the hashtag Since these seven (7) types exist in a spectrum, more than one type can
#IWASFAKE. apply to a specific piece of content. For example, a clickbait article that
employs false connection may also be considered fabricated content if it
is 100% false. Moreover, if it is created and uploaded by a fake account of
an established brand, then you can also call it an imposter content.

THIS IS THE END OF MODULE B. Are you ready to test your

knowledge and practice your skills? Get from us or your
teacher the Module B quiz and worksheets.

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