Disinformation vs. Misonformation

Disinformation is false information created with the intent of harming a specific person or organization. Misinformation is false information, but it is not created with the specific intent to harm. In simpler terms, it is the concept of a deliberate lie versus an honest mistake. This week in class, we did another EOTO, Each One Teach One, where each student picks a topic to teach the rest of the class about, and my topic, if you hadn't guessed already, was disinformation. In doing research, I found that the word "disinformation" wasn't in the English language until the Cold War. It comes from the Russian word "dezinformatsiya" and comes from the name of a KGB black propaganda department. This department was responsible for Operation INFEKTION, a Soviet disinformation campaign which stated that the United States invented the AIDS disease. This was done to harm public opinion of the United States, therefore boosting public opinion of the Soviet Union.


This can and has affected society as a whole in, I think, a negative but nonetheless powerful way. In keeping with the example of Operation INFEKTION, this campaign was launched during the middle of the Cold War, and in times of war, I think people will believe what their government tells them because they, especially in the Soviet Union, have no real way of finding out what is really happening unless they are actively participating in the war. It is also a time when fear is high among lots of people, and they will cling to what little information is fed to them. In this way, disinformation is a very powerful tool that can be used not just in times of war, but also times of peace. However negative and morally wrong it may be, governments have still used it to try and influence public opinion one way or another. Either way, I enjoyed learning about it and doing research about it. I was able to learn new things about the Cold War, which is one of my favorite time periods to learn about. I love learning about history, especially World War II and Cold War history. I have always thought it's fascinating, so I enjoyed learning about this.