Overview:
In light of the rapid spread of disinformation and misinformation during election years, we are committed to providing educators and practitioners with resources that not only address these issues but also advocate for the right to vote and promote freedom of information. This toolkit is designed to equip individuals with accurate, fact-based tools to navigate the complexities of electoral misinformation while empowering civic participation. The curated resources aim to foster critical thinking, media literacy, and advocacy for voting rights, ensuring that individuals can make informed decisions during election periods. While these resources are a starting point, we encourage further exploration and engagement through our Professional Development and Training Team’s selections, many of which are available through the HRE USA K-12 Lesson Library, as well as external links to our community partners and human rights educators.
This toolkit was developed as a part of a virtual roundtable on Mis/Disinformation during an Election Year held on September 14, 2024. The roundtable brought together youth and experts to analyze and address the pressing issues of misinformation and voting rights. This session was recorded and the video can be accessed here.
Misinformation and disinformation both refer to the dissemination of false information, but they differ primarily in intent and purpose.
Definitions (Oxford English Dictionary: Definitions of misinformation and disinformation):
- Misinformation: False or inaccurate information that is spread without the intent to deceive. It occurs when someone shares incorrect information unknowingly or with the belief that it is true. An example of misinformation is sharing an incorrect news article because the person believed the information to be factual.
- Disinformation: False or misleading information deliberately spread to deceive people. Disinformation is intentional and is often used for manipulative purposes, such as influencing public opinion or undermining trust in organizations or systems.
Comparison:
| Aspect | Misinformation | Disinformation |
| Intent | No intent to deceive; shared unknowingly or mistakenly | Intentional, with the goal to deceive or manipulate |
| Awareness | Shared by individuals who believe the information is true | Shared by individuals who know the information is false |
| Example | Sharing outdated health advice thinking it is current | A government spreading false narratives to manipulate public opinion |
| Harm | Can cause harm but typically unintentional | Purposefully causes harm to serve an agenda |
Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe.
Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K. H., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the “Post-Truth” Era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 353-369.
Resources:
To submit your own resources to this or another collection, please feel encouraged to use this linked submission form.
| Podcasts: Human Rights Education Now! |
| Organizations, Advocacy, and Initiatives: Organization: The Center for Media Democracy’s PR Watch Organization: The Dorothy Cotton Institute Organization: Generation Vote (GenVote) Organization: Andrew Goodman Foundation Organization: Influence Watch Organization: National Coalition Against Censorship Organization: National Conflict Resolution Center Organization: News Literacy Project Organization: OpenSecrets Organization: PEN America Organization: Project Censored Organization: Snopes Organization: Solutions Journalism Network Organization: Learning for Justice Coalition: CivXNow Advocacy: Media Wise by Poynter Advocacy: The World As It Could Be Initiative: Banned Books Week Initiative: Constitution Day Initiative: Dome Watch Initiative: International Day of Democracy Initiative: National Voter Registration Day Initiative: Rock the Vote Initiative: Student Learn, Student Votes |
| Reports American Library Association: Banned and Challenged Books Knight Foundation: Americans’ Views on Book Restrictions in U.S. Public Schools 2024 PEN America:America’s Censored Classroom 2024 – PEN AmericaMemo on School Book Bans in 2023-24 – PEN AmericaSummary of 2023-24 Book Bans Report – PEN AmericaProject 2025 – PEN America |
| Additional Resources: Bloomberg Digital Resources: ABC-CLIO: American Government Database Democracy and Human Rights | The Forum on Human Rights: The Carter Center | A collaborative community for human rights defenders Educating for American Democracy (EAD) and Human Rights Educators joint brief on relationship between human rights education and civics for a democratic society: https://hreusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hre-brief-on-ead.pdf The World As It Could Be: Teaching Guide on the Right to Vote and Participate in One’s Government Ad Fontes Media: Interactive Media Bias Chart |
Acknowledgement
The contents of this toolkit have been developed using publicly accessible information, gathered and shared by the participants of the HRE USA Virtual Roundtable: Misinformation and Weaponized Communications during an Election Year. Participants included Mischa Geracoulis, Alex Edgar, Sara Wilf, Nina Grotch, Sierra Ford, Kevin Maysonet, Jenna Monday, and Elizabeth Schwab. This toolkit was edited and compiled by Kara Anderson and Jiawen Li. The information contained herein is intended solely for educational and non-commercial purposes. We are committed to upholding ethical standards and ensuring that no violations of intellectual property rights or other legal provisions occur in the use of these materials.
Contact information
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