Tips to Help Stop the Spread of Disinformation

As social media continues to grow more popular, disinformation becomes more common. Disinformation about COVID-19, BIPOC communities, and our democracy online is rampant. It’s hard to know what exactly to do when faced with disinformation. Here are a couple tips for engagement.

• Don’t Amplify Disinformation – Your first instinct may be to try to engage with disinformation, but be careful! You may be introducing the content to new audiences.
• Look at the Popularity – If the post has a lot of likes and retweets, then it may be worth engaging and correcting it. If it doesn’t have a lot of traction, you may be better off moving on from it.
• If it is from someone you know, there are strategies for trying to reach them – Try correcting them in the comments, or reach out to them privately. That is the best way to have a constructive conversation without an audience.

Use reportdisinfo.org – Submitting disinformation to our secure tip line allows us to track the spread of disinformation and work to get it removed from social media platforms, if necessary