Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back

Photo by Elimende Inagella on Unsplash

Alliance For Science
Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviors such as mask-wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much misinformation is spread not by accident but as part of organized political campaigns, in which case we refer to it as disinformation.

But there is a more fundamental, subversive damage arising from misinformation and disinformation that is discussed less often. It undermines democracy itself. In a recent paper published in Current Opinion in Psychology, we highlight two important aspects of democracy that disinformation works to erode. MORE