Individual research on mis- and disinformation too often relies on siloed approaches that neglect the wider technological and socio-political conditions of which it is part, and there is limited exchange between misinformation studies across communication domains (political, advertising, organisational, and entertainment). At the same time, building resilience in today’s digital information ecology requires close collaboration between academics and societal stakeholders. MiRA brings these threads together: it monitors and responds to ongoing trends in the mis- and disinformation realm, showcases empirical research, and connects academics with practitioners and policymakers. 

Growing need to identify misinformation

MiRA is embedded in the Amsterdam School of Communication Research and the Department of Communication Science at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam. The initiative emerged from a growing need to identify misinformation as a topic of deep, cross-cutting research and teaching interest. The acronym MiRA doubles as the word for “sight” in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese (from the Latin mirari). The name represents an initiative dedicated to observing the full spectrum of misinformation phenomena, and to looking beyond the surface of truths and falsehoods to the conditions that enable or hinder them. 

Our research is structured around four interlocking priorities (Causes, Content, Consequences, and Countering) that keep misinformation situated in its wider context. The framework details are available on the Research page.