Disinformation

Catalog description

Disinformation is false information created to deliberately mislead an audience; its purpose is to support its perpetrator’s goals through deception. This course examines several types of disinformation, including “fake news;” how it overlaps with propaganda and misinformation but is also unique; how and why disinformation works; its incentives and consequences (some of which are unintentional); several historical examples of disinformation (including who perpetrated them and why); some sophisticated techniques used in creating disinformation; and how the individual and also society can guard against disinformation but may never completely eliminate it.