Dis/Misinformation
The spread of false and misleading online information from both domestic and foreign sources, regardless of whether it is inadvertent or purposeful, pollutes political discourse and amplifies partisan discord – which in turn severely hampers the ability of society to address critical policy challenges. The global COVID-19 “infodemic” has only exacerbated this problem.
How misinformation spreads through social networks, how misinformation evolves on social media platforms, how media behaviors and attitudes drive exposure to and endorsement of misinformation, how we proactively mitigate misinformation, and the downstream impacts of misinformation on behavior, policy, and society, are all essential questions that CCPP scholars explore.
Recent Selected Publications
- Osborne, M.A., Malloy, S., Nisbet, E.C., Bond, R.M., Tien, J.H. (2022). Sentinel node approach to monitoring online COVID-19 misinformation. Scientific Reports. 9832 (2022).
- Nisbet, E.C. and Kamenchuk, O. (2021). Russian news media, digital media, informational learned helplessness, and the belief in COVID-19 misinformation. International Journal of Public Opinion Research. 33 (3), 571-590
- Nisbet, E.C., C. Mortenson, Q. Li (2021). The presumed influence of election misinformation on others reduces our own satisfaction with democracy. The Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review 1, no. 7 (2021).
- Nisbet, E.C. and Kamenchuk, O. (2019). The psychology of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and implications for the future of public diplomacy. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. 14(1-2), 65-82
- Gunther, R., Beck, P.A., Nisbet, E.C. (2019). Fake News’ and the Defection of 2012 Obama Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election. Electoral Studies. 61
Recent Sponsored Projects
- Anticipatory Misinformation Influence Sentinel System (AMISS) (Sponsored by Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity)
- Quantifying the Downstream Effects of COVID-19 Online Health Information on Risk Perceptions, Decision-making, Policy References, and Preventive Health Behaviors (Sponsored by National Science Foundation)
- Quantifying Downstream Harms of Misinformation Shared on Social Media during the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election (Sponsored by Facebook)