%0 Journal Article %1 baines_ning_2020 %A Baines, Darrin %A Elliott, Robert %D 2020 %K Linfodemia %T Defining misinformation, disinformation and malinformation : an urgent need for clarity during the COVID-19 infodemic %X COVID-19 is an unprecedented global health crisis that will have immeasurable consequences for our economic and social well-being. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, stated “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic”. Currently, there is no robust scientific basis to the existing definitions of false information used in the fight against the COVID-19infodemic. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the use of a novel taxonomy and related model (based upon a conceptual framework that synthesizes insights from information science, philosophy, media studies and politics) can produce new scientific definitions of mis-, dis- and malinformation. We undertake our analysis from the viewpoint of information systems research. The conceptual approach to defining mis-,dis- and malinformation can be applied to a wide range of empirical examples and, if applied properly, may prove useful in fighting the COVID-19 infodemic. In sum, our research suggests that: (i) analyzing all types of information is important in the battle against the COVID-19 infodemic; (ii) a scientific approach is required so that different methods are not used by different studies; (iii) “misinformation”, as an umbrella term, can be confusing and should be dropped from use; (iv) clear, scientific definitions of information types will be needed going forward; (v) malinformation is an overlooked phenomenon involving reconfigurations of the truth.

@article{baines_ning_2020, abstract = {COVID-19 is an unprecedented global health crisis that will have immeasurable consequences for our economic and social well-being. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, stated “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic”. Currently, there is no robust scientific basis to the existing definitions of false information used in the fight against the COVID-19infodemic. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the use of a novel taxonomy and related model (based upon a conceptual framework that synthesizes insights from information science, philosophy, media studies and politics) can produce new scientific definitions of mis-, dis- and malinformation. We undertake our analysis from the viewpoint of information systems research. The conceptual approach to defining mis-,dis- and malinformation can be applied to a wide range of empirical examples and, if applied properly, may prove useful in fighting the COVID-19 infodemic. In sum, our research suggests that: (i) analyzing all types of information is important in the battle against the COVID-19 infodemic; (ii) a scientific approach is required so that different methods are not used by different studies; (iii) “misinformation”, as an umbrella term, can be confusing and should be dropped from use; (iv) clear, scientific definitions of information types will be needed going forward; (v) malinformation is an overlooked phenomenon involving reconfigurations of the truth.}, added-at = {2020-10-01T18:53:18.000+0200}, author = {Baines, Darrin and Elliott, Robert}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/23102829573b13211f2b4f09e47fd6b60/lmichan}, interhash = {a10e859ab75174c82ec6ce35814b6d9e}, intrahash = {3102829573b13211f2b4f09e47fd6b60}, keywords = {Linfodemia}, month = apr, shorttitle = {Defining misinformation, disinformation and malinformation}, timestamp = {2020-10-01T18:53:18.000+0200}, title = {Defining misinformation, disinformation and malinformation : an urgent need for clarity during the {COVID}-19 infodemic}, year = 2020 }