How Effective Are Interventions Against Misinformation?

Efforts to combat misinformation have intensified in recent years. In parallel, our scientific understanding of misinformation and of our information ecosystem has improved. Here, I propose ways to improve interventions against misinformation based on this growing body of knowledge. First, because misinformation consumption is minimal and news consumption is low, more interventions should aim at increasing the uptake of reliable information. Second, because most people distrust unreliable sources but fail to sufficiently trust reliable sources, there is more room to improve trust in reliable sources than to reduce trust in unreliable sources. Third, because misinformation is largely a symptom of deeper socio-political problems, interventions should try to address these root causes, such as by reducing partisan animosity. Fourth, because a small number of powerful individuals give misinformation most of its visibility, interventions should try to target these ‘superspreaders’. Fifth, because false information is not necessarily harmful and true information can be used in misleading ways, misleadingness should take precedence over veracity in defining misinformation. Policymakers, journalists, and researchers would benefit from considering these arguments when thinking about the problem of misinformation and how to tackle it.