Disinformation as Political Communication

The time of "fake news" is over; "disinformation" has taken its place

This introduction to the special issue “Beyond Fake News: The Politics of Disinformation” contains four main sections. In the first, the authors discuss the major sociopolitical factors that have allowed disinformation to flourish in recent years. Second, they review the very short history of disinformation research, devoting particular attention to two of its more extensively studied conceptual relatives: propaganda and misinformation. Third, they preview the seven articles in this issue, which they divide into two types: studies of disinformation content and of disinformation reception. The authors conclude by advancing a few suggestions for future disinformation research.