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Detection methodsPlatforms, policy & society Facts and Myths about MisperceptionsBrendan Nyhan surveys misperceptions in politics, science, and health, analyzing why false beliefs persist and how to counter them. While cognitive limits play a role, the strongest driver of misperceptions is group identity and directional motivation (partisanship) in low-incentive domains. Nyhan Spread & networksPlatforms, policy & society WhatsApp vigilantes: an exploration of citizen reception and circulation of WhatsApp misinformation linked to mob violence in IndiaThis LSE report examines how WhatsApp misinformation circulation in India relates to lynchings and mob violence since 2015. The study investigates citizen reception, technological affordances, motivations for sharing, and the broader socio-political context shaping how false information spreads through messaging platforms and triggers… Banaji et al. Bots & coordinated campaignsPlatforms, policy & society The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media ManipulationA comprehensive inventory of government and political-party organized social media manipulation campaigns (cyber troops) across 70 countries. The report catalogs organizational structures, strategies, platforms, and resources deployed for computational propaganda; finds organized manipulation in 70 countries (up from 28 in 2017), with… Bradshaw & Howard Spread & networksPlatforms, policy & society Social Media, Political Polarization, and Political Disinformation: A Review of the Scientific LiteratureThis comprehensive literature review examines the relationships among social media usage, political polarization, and political disinformation, synthesizing research across six topic areas: online political conversations, consequences of disinformation exposure, producers of disinformation, spreading strategies, content and polarization… Tucker et al. Spread & networksPsychology & interventions Avoiding the Echo Chamber About Echo Chambers: Why selective exposure to like-minded political news is less prevalent than you thinkThis Knight Foundation white paper reviews the academic literature on echo chambers and filter bubbles and argues that the narrative of pervasive ideological self-segregation in media consumption is significantly overstated. While people do prefer congenial political information, most Americans consume diverse media diets; most partisan… Guess et al. Platforms, policy & societyBots & coordinated campaigns Partisanship, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Online Media and the 2016 U.S. Presidential ElectionThis large-scale analysis of mainstream and social media coverage during the 2016 U.S. presidential election documents asymmetric partisan structures: conservative media formed an insulated, hyperpartisan ecosystem centered on far-right outlets like Breitbart, while liberal media remained anchored in traditional journalistic practices.… Faris et al. Platforms, policy & society Don't blame the election on fake news. Blame it on the media.A critical analysis arguing that while fake news received disproportionate blame for Trump's 2016 victory, the mainstream media's coverage patterns—emphasizing scandals over policy—played a more significant role in shaping voter knowledge and behavior. Examining New York Times coverage, the authors demonstrate that scandal-focused… Watts & Rothschild Platforms, policy & societyBots & coordinated campaigns How to Counter Russian Social Media Influence in Eastern EuropeRussia deploys sophisticated social media campaigns in Eastern Europe using state-funded media, coordinated troll and bot networks, fake hashtags, and nonattributed comments to sow dissent against neighboring governments and NATO. The RAND study analyzed social media data and expert interviews to identify counter-strategies: accelerating… Helmus et al. Platforms, policy & societyPsychology & interventions Lexicon of Lies: Terms for Problematic InformationWords matter in describing problematic information. This guide clarifies distinctions between misinformation (unintentional inaccuracy), disinformation (deliberate deception), propaganda, publicity, gaslighting, and related terms. Jack Psychology & interventionsSpread & networks Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoningTwo studies with 3,446 participants found that people who score higher on cognitive reflection tests (measuring analytic thinking) are significantly less likely to believe partisan fake news—contradicting the "motivated reasoning" theory that political bias drives misinformation susceptibility. The effect holds regardless of political… Pennycook & Rand Spread & networksBots & coordinated campaigns Media Manipulation and Disinformation OnlineInternet subcultures including trolls, gamergaters, white nationalists, and conspiracy theorists exploit online platforms' vulnerabilities—algorithmic amplification, engagement metrics, and participatory culture—to manipulate news frames and spread disinformation. These diverse groups employ coordinated tactics (memes, bots, strategic… Marwick & Lewis