I've been asked to write an evergreen piece on the differences between mis-, dis-, and other muddy informations.
Evergreen pieces aim to be useful outside news cycles. One example is my Uterus 101 piece last year, on how humans are among the rare mammals that evolved to abort embryos (most mammals rush to create a nurturing environment at insemination, but not our systems!) & how abortifacients work with that biology.
For a piece on mis/disinformation, what do you wish was better understood?
@MLClark The difference, mostly 🤣 I mix them up all the time. I might need a mnemonic!
Ugh! So important! Will try my best. :)
Yes! That's the third term I was asked to cover; I only vaguely gestured its way in the opener, because I have more I want to include, like "truthiness" and "just-so" storytelling. Glad to hear what's gaining in popularity, though. Thank you!
@MLClark @stueytheround Those definitions also help to describe the disseminator(s) of the information and their intentions.
Yep! That's the type. The problem is that, while an excellent resource, the narrative design of such an article isn't very accessible to average readers, and doesn't appeal to the ones who most need to learn how to differentiate between such things. Its target audience is already pretty seasoned and institutionally savvy, while the aim of evergreen pieces by venues like mine is to serve as a bridge for general readers. Thanks, Peter!
@MLClark @stueytheround I've also noticed people referring to malinformation.