"The first news reports about crisis events are often filled with inaccurate information (Spiro and Starbird, 2024; Zeng, Starbird, and Spiro, 2016). People want to understand what happened. They want to make sense of events. We all search for information. While we are searching for accurate information, people often push rumors and narratives for their own reasons. Some of those people push false rumors and narratives - that is, disinformation."
"The old idiom: A lie can run around the world before the truth has laced up its shoes. The truth is slow to start; it takes time for accurate information to become clear and be released. Rumors and false narratives don't have to wait. With the shootings in Minnesota, you can find reliable descriptions of exactly what happened. Many people have shared their cellphone videos, and there is a lot of detailed information. I advise discretion in looking at all information."
Competing narratives have emerged around recent shootings in Minnesota, with different outlets and posters offering conflicting accounts. Initial reports of crisis events commonly contain inaccurate information because the truth takes time to emerge while rumors spread quickly. Some individuals and media push false rumors and narratives for their own reasons, contributing to disinformation. Reliable descriptions exist, including cellphone video evidence, but consumers should exercise discretion when viewing graphic or unverified material. Presenting false information as equivalent to true information functions as a form of disinformation. Stronger, clearer narratives that prioritize truth are necessary to counter misleading stories.
Read at Psychology Today
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