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Distinguish among Information, Propaganda, Misinformation, and Disinformation

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One way to judge a source’s trustworthiness is to ask yourself: Is it reliable information, or is it propaganda, misinformation, or disinformation?²

Information is data that are presented in an understandable context. Data are raw and unprocessed facts; information makes sense of data. For example, a patient’s vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, pulse, etc.) are data. Interpreting the vital signs in the context of health status is information.
Propaganda is information represented in such a way as to provoke a desired response. The purpose of propaganda is to instill a particular attitude—to encourage you to think a particular way. Military posters that encourage you to enlist are an example of propaganda.
Misinformation always refers to something that is not true. One common form of misinformation on the Internet is the urban legend—a fabricated story passed along by unsuspecting people.
Disinformation is the deliberate falsification of information. Doctored photographs and falsified profit-and-loss statements are examples of disinformation in action. Unfortunately, disinformation thrives on the Internet.

Use Watchdog Sites to Check the Facts

Our most trustworthy elected officials occasionally make false assertions, and even the most reliable news sources publish errors of fact or omission. So whom should you believe— Congresswoman X’s dire predictions regarding Social Security or Senator Y’s rosier assessment? To check the factual accuracy of information offered by key political players and major journalistic outlets, consult these Web sites (bearing in mind that they too are not infallible).

FactCheck.org, sponsored by the Annenberg Public Policy Center
PolitiFact.com, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times
The Fact Checker, a blog sponsored by the Washington Post.