More and more experts from the social sciences are appearing in the media to provide expert opinions on media coverage of events and social issues. However, with regard to the conditions under which media content is produced, a growing number of voices have been pointing to the fact that quasi-experts with a media interest tend to speak more in…

Under 'post-truth' conditions the generation, circulation and status of knowledge are being transformed, with significant implications for institutional trust, social cohesion and public safety. These conditions raise complex challenges and opportunities within education, which plays a potentially pivotal role in supporting communities to respond…

The phenomenal increase in the level of digital technologies has in no small measure enabled and opened new vista of possibilities that were hitherto inconceivable before the advent of these digital technologies. Indeed, this phenomenon has also increased the 'crescendo' of various seemingly impossible trends in the area of circulation of…

Misinformation and fake news are severe threats to society. The role of critical reading skills is crucial in the battle against misinformation. Despite the promising results of game-based interventions to mitigate the effects of misinformation, the corpus of research on games supporting critical reading skills needs an overview. Therefore, a…

In a world where exposure to untrustworthy communicators is common, trust has become more important than ever for effective marketing. Nevertheless, we know very little about the long-term consequences of exposure to untrustworthy sources, such bullshitters. This research examines how untrustworthy sources--liars and bullshitters--influence…

If we live in a knowledge economy (Ford, 2021), then information literacy is a key to understanding the world and how we can shape it. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on information literacy (IL) as it pertains to misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda in both academics and popular media. However, most of the attention has been…

The 21st century has been riven by information challenges, from mis/disinformation campaigns, fake news, and propaganda to online conspiracy theories. At a time when more people are literate than perhaps at any other time in history, we still see the rise and viral global spread of unhinged conspiracy theories across the web. The existence of such…

Purpose: There are several connections between education and disinformation, including the association between years of schooling and vulnerability to unfounded hypothesizing. The purpose of this paper is to inquire into a competing explanation: political leaders might be exploring powerful teaching and learning strategies to disseminate agendas…

Reflecting on a course in scholarly communication, this short article aims to show not only that scholarly communication is essential for a career in academic libraries, but also that the understanding of how researchers work, publish, and disseminate research findings plays an important role in combating disinformation and misinformation. The…

Social media usage has become a daily habit for the younger generation. It can have positive effects on educational processes, but it also raises concerns about harmful content, such as fake news or hate speech. Fake news is often distributed with the intention to manipulate the public opinion by propagating disinformation. This includes the…

Three-year-olds often respond to lies as if they were true or with no clear rationale. Individual differences influence children's processing of misinformation. Here, we explore how two contextual cues (children's conflicting first-hand knowledge and different information sources) affect their ability to correctly interpret and respond to…

Racist and sexist power hierarchies endure in the US under the guise of fake news. The authors engage in the Black feminist tradition of truth-telling and centre the experiences of Black women in their examination of fake news and higher education's role in the perpetuation of state violence. Their analysis shows higher education institutions can…

With waves of fake news, many see the truth in decline. The resulting "post-truth" panic provokes methodological defensiveness, heightening scrutiny over what qualifies as qualitative research. At the same time, post qualitative research rejects qualitative research to imagine new possibilities. These debates involve a reassessment of…

Misinformation around scientific issues is rampant on social media platforms, raising concerns among educators and science communicators. A variety of approaches have been explored to confront this growing threat to science literacy. For example, refutations have been used both proactively as warning labels and in attempts to inoculate against…

The proliferation of deepfakes and visual misinformation coupled with the fast-paced nature of social media has prompted an increased need for media literacy skills among emerging citizens. The unit activity detailed in this article overviews a media literacy framework for engaged citizenship and presents media literacy strategies that emerging…