Dictionary.com ‘Misinforms’ Readers About Obesity in Word of the Year Announcement
Last we checked, Dictionary.com is not a great place to get medical advice.
Earlier today, Dictionary.com announced that it has named “misinformation” as the 2018 Word of the Year. Ironically, the example Dictionary.com cites as misinformation in health reporting is itself the epitome of misinformation.
The press release outlining Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year announcement described several examples where misinformation was presented to the public, prompting the destructive spread of false information through various channels (such as social media). The announcement also explained the difference between “misinformation” and “disinformation.”
“The word misinformation is particularly interesting as its meaning is widely conflated with disinformation,” said Jane Solomon, linguist-in-residence at Dictionary.com. “The intent behind the two words is important to note — with misinformation, the intent is generally not to mislead; with disinformation, the intent is always to mislead.” Examples of disinformation include government propaganda or smear campaigns by rival politicians.
Some examples of misinformation given in Dictionary.com’s announcement include technology companies’ role…
