After smooth jazz, lite beer, and stock photography, one of the greatest evils in the human universe is disinformation – a way of manipulating people (or even entire fields of inquiry) using information crated in fact and mixed with subtle untruths that comport with the target’s expectations. The payload for disinformation can poison the well for an entire area of inquiry, as well as discrediting individuals. It is also a kind of unethical social experiment, to see how the public and media react. As we have also seen recently, it can be used to influence the low information demographic for political gain or to stir up unrest. A skilled disinformer can play his marks like a banjo, and inject well engineered falsehoods into the mythosphere that may take decades to expunge.
No one wants to be played, and in the current environment in which bogus information is pushed our way from many directions, we need to have our defenses up and be vigilant. We need to be especially alert when the news is what we want to hear.