Misinformation about science harms personal decisions, democracy and public policy, says Northeastern University professor David Lazer, who contributed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report released Thursday. Lazer, a member of NASEM’s Committee on Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science, helped evaluate how misinformation spreads and conceptualized ways to limit its harm. “Misinformation undermines choice, individual agency and democracy,” he says.
The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, defines misinformation and disinformation about science, highlights their impacts, proposes directions for future research and suggests interventions. Over more than two years, the committee examined serious cases of misinformation, especially in medicine.
