False News/Definitions
False News: Definitions
The series of articles collected under the topic of 'false news' have been allocated to Categories which reflect the subtle differences between different type of 'false news'.
As the story of flight MH370 unfolded the Government of Malaysia, specifically the Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport, Hishammuddin Hussein, attempted to release or provide information which was correct, validated or based on reliable sources. As very little was actually known there wasn't much information to produce. The 'information vacuum' was filled by speculation, 'theories', conjecture, and misinformation spread by Media, commentators, and within forums.
Although this environment was distressing to everyone affected by the loss of MH370, and the phenomenon itself is common, it was limited in scope to matters related to MH370.
The definitions below have become part of modern culture since the Covid pandemic; academics now study the spread and affects of various types of false news; but the language was not as well known or used back in 2014. The Categories of false news developed here are based on recent language, applied retrospectively to the news and commentary about flight MH370 in 2014.
False News
False means 'not true or correct; erroneous'[1]
False News therefore means news which is not true, or news which is not correct.
False News is typically spread via social media. Whereas the source of a rumour may be unknown, false news is often attributed to a source, such as a social media post which goes 'viral'.
A lot of false news related to MH370 was spread via WhatsApp. Some is more accurately described as 'rumour'; the majority was 'misinformation'.
Rumour
'Rumors are unverified information not attributed to any particular source and may be either true or false'.[2]
The 'news' that MH370 landed at Nanming was spread via social media but the original source was never identified.
Misinformation
'Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information.'
'Misinformation can include inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or false information as well as selective or half-truths'.[2]
The altitude data derived from military radar observations of MH370 as the aircraft crossed peninsula Malaysia were not valid. Media repeated the 'news' that MH370 ascended to an altitude of 49,000 feet which is above the designed service ceiling for the Boeing 777. The data was incorrect and should have been validated prior to release or publication. The data falls into the category of misinformation.
Misinformation vs Disinformation
While 'misinformation represents the unintentional spread of false information'[3] disinformation is intentional, deliberate.
Disinformation
Disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people.[3]
Disinformation is often deliberately crafted to sway public opinion (like propaganda) but with the intention of causing harm or obscuring the truth.
Using the example of radar data (above) many commentators have used this incorrect data to promote the scenario that the Pilot in Command deliberately caused MH370 to climb above the service ceiling and then depressurized the aircraft to intentionally kill everyone onboard through lack of oxygen or hypoxia. There is, however, no evidence that anyone died from hypoxia and it would not be necessary to ascend above normal cruising altitude anyway. The scenario fits with the pilot-suicide theory and is disinformation intended to cause harm by changing public perception of the Pilot.
Fake News
'Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news.'
'Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity.'[4]
Whereas 'false news' is, by definition, incorrect; fake news is deliberately created and presented as if it were credible news.
An example is publication of a photograph purporting to be of Captain Zaharie Shah in a hospital bed with a headline crafted as 'click bait' but the author and publisher knew that the patient was not, and could not be, Zaharie Shah. The article content was entirely fake.
Tabloid media in the United Kingdom commonly produces sensational headlines leading to fabricated or fake news content.
Conspiracy Theory
A real conspiracy occurs when various people or groups conspire to commit a crime or similar act. Conspiracy usually involves secrecy to hide the identities of all persons involved.
A conspiracy theory, however, is a term used for an explanation of events which may be rather bizarre. Conspiracy theories usually involve some secret organisation, a group of 'behind the scenes' power brokers; or a cover-up at high levels; or advanced technologies which may be attributed to aliens; or unexplainable phenomenon. Some people have a world-view in which a framework of beliefs like these acts as a lens though which they interpret events, constantly reinforcing their acceptance of conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories in relation to MH370 were inspired by the misinformation that the plane 'disappeared' or was hidden from radar. The reality was that the aircraft was tracked by military radar and could have been observed on civilian secondary radar but the air traffic controllers simply didn't look.
References
Note: The original source of content quoted from the Wikipedia articles referenced below is, in most instances, referenced at the end of those articles.
- ↑ false, Dictionary.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Misinformation, Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Disinformation, Wikipedia
- ↑ Fake news, Wikipedia