Together we can help stop the spread of election misinformation and disinformation.
The Election Integrity Project was a nonpartisan initiative undertaken during the fall of 2020. Co-led by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the Center for Journalism Ethics at UW–Madison, the project was done in collaboration with First Draft and with the support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
The Project provided guidance to journalists and citizens on dealing with election misinformation and disinformation online and aimed to counteract efforts that could strip citizens of their power through investigative reporting on voting issues in Wisconsin.
For the Media: Don’t Repeat the Myth
A local reporter’s toolkit for covering misinformation and disinformation on social media.
Exploring the fast-paced, facts-optional and sort of sticky-feeling world of the social web can be an overwhelming experience for any reporter. The good news is that people tend to trust local sources of information. As a recognizable local reporter, you have the public’s good faith on your side, and by monitoring social media for potentially harmful falsehoods, you have a way to create important service journalism on its behalf. (To watch our September 28 webinar for journalists on covering misinformation and disinformation, please go here).
How Citizens & Media Consumers Can Stem the Tide of Election Misinformation
A citizen’s toolkit for navigating the facts-optional world of social media.
Information comes at you so fast on social media that it’s hard to know what to believe. Even those with special training on how to track false and misleading content are regularly disoriented by what they see on the social web. This guide will show you how to identify misinformation and disinformation online, as well as what to do when a family member or friend is spreading misinformation.
Wisconsin Watch reporting on Wisconsin Election Misinformation
Pre-bunking falsehoods: How Wisconsin voters can avoid falling for election misinformation
The best defense from rumors, hoaxes and propaganda is knowing what to expect. Here’s a preview of what voters might see ahead of Election Day.
Pro-Trump and pro-Biden PACs spread debunked Facebook ads in Wisconsin
Researchers flag hundreds of political advertisements containing false or misleading messages — including some already debunked by fact-checkers.
A pile of mailboxes: Tracking the spread of misinformation in Wisconsin
Howard Hardee of the Election Integrity Project collaborated with WISC Channel 3 on this investigation of how social media users can amplify falsehoods.
Falsehoods about Wisconsin’s vote count are flying. Here’s the truth.
Supporters of President Donald Trump falsely claim fraud after votes shift to former Vice President Biden.
Misplaced Milwaukee flash drive morphs into false charges of voter fraud
Milwaukee’s head of elections says the flash drive with absentee vote totals was always in the custody of election authorities or the police.
Wisconsin GOP official bucks Trump and draws backlash: ‘There is no fraud in this election’
Lifelong Republican Rohn Bishop believes the GOP must stop trafficking in conspiracies and falsehoods, for the good of his party — and the country.
