Many people, including some media professionals, seem to use the terms "misinformation" and "disinformation" as almost interchangeable, especially in the current political climate. They're not.
While both terms refer to information that is not correct, misinformation is just that, incorrect. Someone has made a mistake. Disinformation, however, is both incorrect and intentionally so, a deliberate lie.
Many candidates have made, or are reported to have made, statements that include mistakes, misinformation. Usually those statements are quickly corrected, often by the candidates themselves, and are of little consequence. Not so with disinformation, the purpose of which is deliberate deception. The candidates themselves don't usually correct those, which is why fact-checking is important.
So the next time you encounter a candidate's statement that seems incorrect, ask yourself: Is this likely misinformation, a mistake, or is it more likely disinformation, a deliberate lie? And vote accordingly if you detect a pattern.
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Gerard Ervin
Northeast side
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