Policy complexity

Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation have become critical policy issues due to their social and political implications around the world amid increasingly complex media ecosystem dynamics (Balkan & Ülgen, 2023). Yet academic, public, and political sector attempts to define the concept of misinformation remain both inconsistent and contradictory, as misinformation can be framed in relation to multiple forces such as audiences, intermediaries, and producers. (Zeng & Brennan, 2023). As such, defining ‘problematically inaccurate information’ (Jack, 2017) remains a persistent challenge - especially as intentionality and accuracy “may be particularly hard to parse in the context of networked media, accelerating news cycles, and declining faith in social institutions” (p.1).

Policy uncertainty

In examining a range of policy, conceptual, and evaluative challenges associated with Countering Disinformation Effectively), Bateman and Jackson (2024) propose: there is no silver bullet or ‘best’ policy option; policymakers should set realistic expectations; democracies should adopt a portfolio approach to manage uncertainty; long-term structural reforms deserve more attention; platforms and tech cannot be the sole focus; countering disinformation is not always apolitical; and, research gaps are pervasive (pp. 2-3)

Policymaking possibilities

Closely examining mis/dis/malinformation policies across a range of international organisations and countries potentially offers not only a comparative and critical perspective, but also signals the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to develop effective dialogue and decision-making across the globe (Balkan & Ülgen, 2023). The future of the misinformation field requires not only more interdisciplinary work, but also collecting international data, studying the subtleties of misinformation and a wider range of platforms, alongside the development of theories, frameworks, and interventions (Altay et al., 2023).