Responding to misinformation: how to ‘do it right’

At this meeting we’ll look into how we as skeptics respond to misinformation.

Misinformation (and its deliberate associate disinformation) is everywhere. Dealing with it can be frustrating and tricky – because people are complex creatures!
For one thing, misinformation can be ‘sticky’. Fact-checking can reduce people’s beliefs in false information. However, misinformation often continues to influence people’s thinking even after they receive and accept a correction. It’s therefore important to use the most effective debunking approaches to achieve maximum impact.
Because misinformation is so sticky, it’s best preempted. We can do this by explaining misleading or manipulative argument strategies to people—a technique known as “inoculation”. But if we can’t preempt, we must debunk. And for debunking to be effective, it is important to provide detailed refutations – for without those, the misinformation may continue to stick around.

Drinks and food available at the venue.