Why It’s Newsworthy: Disinformation is nothing new, but since the 2016 presidential election, professional fact-checkers have seen a boom in their presence online. Understanding what disinformation is, who creates it, and for what purpose, is the first defense in knowing how to detect it. Once you know how it functions, then you can start to protect yourself against it. Using the advice from experts and a walkthrough of a disinformation piece, click here to learn how to defend yourself against media manipulators.  

 

Lorna Ramage is a senior majoring in journalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.