Disinformation Research
Disinformation Research is the systematic study of deliberately false or manipulated information designed to mislead, harm, or influence public opinion, often tied to political, social, or economic agendas. It differs from broader misinformation by focusing on intent, coordinated campaigns, and strategic influence—especially through social media, synthetic media, or organised influence operations.
Key components
- Intent and strategy — analysing who creates disinformation, their goals, and tactics, including the use of synthetic audio or video, AI‑generated content, or coordinated networks.
- Networks and amplification — mapping how content is amplified by bots, coordinated accounts, or media outlets, and how foreign or domestic actors exploit social divisions or hate speech to push narratives.
- Contextual factors — considering political events, election cycles, crises, economic tensions, or cultural fault lines that make societies more vulnerable to coordinated disinformation.
- Response efficacy — testing whether fact‑checking, media literacy, policy responses, or technical tools reduce reach, belief, or harmful outcomes.
Expected deliverables
- Public reports, dashboards, or factsheets tracking disinformation trends, including political or communal themes.
- Recommendations for training newsrooms, civil society, and schools to detect and counter influence operations or hate speech.
- Prototype or open tools tailored to Bengali or regional languages for claim verification and content analysis.
- Policy briefs for stakeholders in Bangladesh and South Asia on platform responsibility, digital governance, and cross‑border cooperation.
It offers a concise reference for universities, journalists, NGOs, and policymakers to justify, design, or explain research projects that protect public discourse and democratic processes in Bangladesh and the region.
