There is a word that has crept into frequent use at some point in our pandemic response that I find troubling: "misinformation." On the surface, it sounds like a beauty pageant competition for trivia show champions. Its use seems to be dismissive and almost a direct retort to another dismissive term, "fake news." "Misinformation" projects a pre-evaluation and often makes no mention of the ideas being labeled for the reader/viewer to engage in critical thinking of their own. It predetermines an opinion rather than presenting a set of ideas for the reader/viewer to evaluate for credibility. Let us think for you. Trust us. And now a word from our corporate sponsor.
There are four lights
There are four lights
There are four lights
There is a word that has crept into frequent use at some point in our pandemic response that I find troubling: "misinformation." On the surface, it sounds like a beauty pageant competition for trivia show champions. Its use seems to be dismissive and almost a direct retort to another dismissive term, "fake news." "Misinformation" projects a pre-evaluation and often makes no mention of the ideas being labeled for the reader/viewer to engage in critical thinking of their own. It predetermines an opinion rather than presenting a set of ideas for the reader/viewer to evaluate for credibility. Let us think for you. Trust us. And now a word from our corporate sponsor.