Associate Professor Francesca Spezzano, who has studied misinformation for more than a decade, was featured in a KTVB news report examining how false claims spread online in the aftermath of a shooting Twin Falls.
Spezzano explained the key distinction between misinformation and disinformation: misinformation is false content shared without knowledge that it’s false, while disinformation is spread deliberately to cause harm. She noted that the confusion following the Twin Falls shooting appeared largely unintentional, driven by public fear and uncertainty in the immediate aftermath of a crisis.
Spezzano also spoke to how repeated exposure to the same false claims (amplified by social media algorithms) can make misinformation feel credible over time, a phenomenon researchers call the “illusory truth effect.” She pointed to the growing role of generative AI in producing convincing fake images, video, and text as a factor making it even harder for the public to separate fact from fiction during breaking news events.
Her recommendations for the community:
- rely on credible news organizations
- cross-check information across multiple trusted sources
- avoid sharing unverified posts since once misinformation spreads, it’s extremely difficult to fully correct.
See the full story from KTVB here
