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So Listen: Information on Disinformation

Society is taking in news and information constantly. Reading stories, reading what’s trending on social media, watching news channels; however which ever way one would like to get the news, there are several ways to do it. 

But sometimes, the wrong information or misinformation comes from news sources. To be misinformed is a mistake: A source had their info wrong, causing incorrect facts to circulate. Recently, a new kind of wrong information has been making itself present in our news and media: disinformation. 

To be disinformed means the source knowingly gave the wrong information, usually to change the story to fit a certain narrative. That has always been an issue threatening journalism, but recently, disinformers have discovered how to use technology to change photos or videos, and therefore change our perception, such as this video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a press conference, which has been warped to make her seem inebriated. 




Many questioned whether she was actually intoxicated. But others saw the video and didn’t think twice about its authenticity. The effect these doctored videos or photos can have on people’s reputations, whether they are politicians, celebrities or just normal people, are life-changing. 

These doctored images are nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye. It takes technology to make the doctored images, and it takes technology to uncover them as well, and it is not just news outlets who should take precautions to combat disinformation and doctored images and videos.

The Wilson Center, a think tank located in Washington D.C., discussed on C-SPAN the technological improvements that are being made on photo and video editing software, as well as improvements in artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, people will inevitably use these improvements for bad. As this becomes a part of our society, it becomes part of our job as news consumers to figure out what is real and what isn’t.

Unfortunately, the only way to stop these disinformers is to work harder as readers to uncover the truth. No, it isn’t fair to the public that these “fake news” makers are spewing falsehoods into the real news cycle, but as the landscape of journalism changes, it is falling more and more on the shoulders of news readers — and journalists — to be aware. By using the “revert to original photo” tool on Google if an image has been doctored, one can find the original. Like the Nancy Pelosi video, you’ll often find that there was nothing scandalous in the images to begin with. 

To vet their news, readers can find the same story from another source. If a story or image seems outlandish and not from a trusted news source, it is probably disinformation.

As the media landscape changes and evolves, readers must evolve with it. Disinformation is a threat to the truth, and the only way to combat it is to be aware that it’s out there.

Mikayla Rochelle is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.

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