DISINFORMATION VS. MISINFORMATION: ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN MEDIA CONTENT
Keywords:
Disinformation, misinformation, mind manipulation, fake news, information warfare.Abstract
The article carries out a theoretical and practical analysis of the distinction between two important concepts “disinformation” and “misinformation” in the context of modern information flows. The relevance of the study is due to the growing manipulative influence of fake news on society during political crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. The article presents the study of Western and Ukrainian approaches to distinguishing these concepts, their influence on public consciousness and their role in modern information warfare. The article is based on the works of Western and Ukrainian scientists, regarding manipulations and disinformation in foreign media space. Examples of the impact on public perception through fake news are presented here, namely through social media, and their use for political gain. In particular, cases of the use of disinformation in foreign media content were analysed using the examples of V. Zelenskyi's statements. Therefore, it was found that the words of the Ukrainian president were misrepresented and introduced in a distorted form, which contributed to the spread of disinformation aimed at discrediting the president himself and Ukraine as a whole. The analysed examples demonstrated how distorted information and statements taken out of context can be used to manipulate public opinion and disinformation campaigns. That is why critical thinking and fact-checking are essential tools to combat fake news and propaganda, especially during an information warfare.References
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