Is the ‘disinformation’ label used to stifle free speech?

Disinformation is a concern in the run-up to the local and European elections, as the combination of new AI technology and complex social media networks make it easier than ever to spread misleading information to a wide audience.

But who polices disinformation, and is the term sometimes misused or abused for political ends?

Freddie Sayers is the editor of UK news and opinion website Unherd. Since learning that his site had been labelled a purveyor of disinformation by Global Disinformation Index, an NGO that advises advertisers, he has been campaigning against overreach by what he calls a “disinformation industry” that disproportionately targets conservative or right-wing points of view.

Eileen Culloty is an Assistant Professor at DCU and Deputy Director of DCU’s Institute for Media, Democracy and Society. She argues that the complex reality of disinformation should not be dismissed, despite past misuse of the term and the limitations of fact-checking in a world full of grey areas.

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Freddie, Eileen and Jack Horgan-Jones of The Irish Times politics team discuss the concept of disinformation with Hugh Linehan on the latest Inside Politics podcast.

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