What's The Difference Between Disinformation and Misinformation?

 This week, with the 'dumping' of Nina Jancowitz as the new head of the Disinformation Governance Board (Homeland Security)....disinformation and misinformation have been in the news. 

I spent some time looking over misinformation and disinformation.  If you asked a hundred people to define either....I would make the suggestion that fewer than forty could give you a decent explanation.  Some would utter 'fake news' in their explanation and I'd at least give them a plus-up on the understanding.

So, lets start with misinformation.

If you told a couple of folks that there was a trampy lady down on highway 64, who lived in a trailer, wore bikini gear while mowing grass, and gave free sex....there are five bits of information contained.  What you messed up on.....it wasn't free sex (she charges) and she only wore a bikini top.  So this is an example of misinformation. 

Another example: You went to a 'wreck-auction' and bought a fairly new BMW that had serious frontend damage done, pulling to the left continually, and wearing out a set of tires every 5,000 miles.  You brag at work/church....about this exceptional deal but never admit that the car is a 'problem' and that you actually got it for a junker-price.  

Disinformation?  It's deliberate in nature.  You are telling a story to get the listener to only attach their version of reality.

Disinformation is often accomplished to polarize society or a political stance.  

Both dished out by journalists, politicians, and intellectuals?  To some degree.

Here's the thing....it's not exactly new.  You can go back over the decades and cite various examples where this 'game' occurred, and people eventually got around to understanding the fake story told.  

In simple terms....plain old disinformation probably doesn't work any longer, and the whole system has had to bump up a notch....for a fake story to really work.