[Ads-l] Antedating of "Disinformation"

Sun May 14 20:22:10 UTC 2023

...and the OED implies as much, albeit with an epistemic rider:

"perhaps < Russian dezinformacija (1949, in S. I. Ožegov  Slovar′ russkogo
jazyka,.."

LH

On Sun, May 14, 2023 at 4:00 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> FWIW, when I first read the word "disinformation" forty-odd years ago, it
> was explained as a translation or adaptation from Russian.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, May 14, 2023 at 11:47 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > In addition to the 1939/1940 use I posted here today:
> >
> > Image Source: www.telegraph.co.uk<
> >
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9184293/Russian-schools-to-keep-exercise-books-with-portrait-of-Joseph-Stalin.html
> > >
> > Joseph Stalin
> > In 1923 Russian revolutionary and poliician Joseph Stalin[Offsite Link]<
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin>, who had previously served
> > as the first editor of Pravda[Offsite Link]<
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda> when it was the official newspaper
> > of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, coined the term
> > desinformatsiya[Offsite Link]<
> >
> https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F
> >
> > as the name of a KGB black propaganda[Offsite Link]<
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_propaganda> department. Stalin gave
> > the department what he thought was French-sounding name in order to claim
> > the name had a Western origin. "Russian use began with a "special
> > disinformation office" in 1923.[5][Offsite Link]<
> >
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation#cite_note-manningromerstein-5
> >
> > Disinformation was defined in Great Soviet Encyclopedia[Offsite Link]<
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Soviet_Encyclopedia> (1952) as
> "false
> > information with the intention to deceive public opinion".[1][Offsite
> Link]<
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation#cite_note-pacepa-1
> >[2][Offsite
> > Link]<
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation#cite_note-bittman1985-2
> > >
> >
> > https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=5069
> >
> > stephen
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2023 9:52 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: Antedating of "Disinformation"
> >
> > FDR used the word "disinformation" in 1940. I suspect FDR used
> > "disinformation" with the sense: deliberate misinformation spread by
> > political opponents.
> >
> > Date: May 1, 1940
> > Newspaper: The Bellingham Herald
> > Newspaper Location: Bellingham, Washington
> > Article: President Defends Transfer of CAA
> > Author: Associated Press
> > Quote Page 10, Column 5
> > Database: Newspapers.com
> >
> >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bellingham-herald-disinformation/124644117/__;!!OToaGQ!oDfjrZ3qYRTnw0xdiwsrGKxS2Hs3-p6wN_Q5-YtFq_cDu6lR5b1roEVEUGV4QmyGc48QtIQYC4K5-JMuY-fMqrvJFQ$
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > President Roosevelt in a formal statement yesterday declared a "flood
> > of disinformation" had been circulated in opposition to his order
> > placing the Civil Aeronautics Authority, now an independent agency, in
> > the commerce department.
> > The chief executive said much of the "misinformation" had "fallen of
> > its own absurdity and needs no comment."
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Here is the OED definition for disinformation (sense a)
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > The dissemination of deliberately false information, esp. when
> > supplied by a government or its agent to a foreign power or to the
> > media, with the intention of influencing the policies or opinions of
> > those who receive it; false information so supplied.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Sun, May 14, 2023 at 9:16 AM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Is there any evidence that the current sense of “disinformation"
> > referring to a proper category (“deliberately….”) of misinformation—
> > >
> > > The dissemination of deliberately false information, esp. when supplied
> > by a government or its agent to a foreign power or to the media, with the
> > intention of influencing the policies or opinions of those who receive
> it;
> > false information so supplied.
> > > [OED]
> > >
> > > —predates 1955, the first OED cite?  A google ngram search reveals a
> > sudden palpable rise in usage around 1980 and another spike currently
> > ongoing.
> > >
> > > LH
> > >
> > > > On May 14, 2023, at 8:22 AM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Yes, I think Jon's suggestion of a simple synonym for ordinary
> > "misinformation" is likely.
> > > >
> > > > Fred
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ________________________________
> > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <mailto:
> > ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM <mailto:wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>>
> > > > Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2023 5:30 PM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> <
> > ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>>
> > > > Subject: Re: Antedating of "Disinformation"
> > > >
> > > > I wonder if this is either a typo influenced by "disseminated" or a
> > simple
> > > > synonym for ordinary "misinformation."
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > > On Sat, May 13, 2023 at 5:06 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu
> >
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> disinformation (OED 1955)
> > > >>
> > > >> 1887 _Medicine Lodge_ (Kansas) _Cresset_ 17 Feb. 3/1
> (Newspapers.com)
> > The
> > > >> amount of disinformation disseminated by the Sun City delegation is
> > immense.
> > > >>
> > > >> Fred Shapiro
> > > >>
> > > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > <
> >
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> > > <
> >
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> > >
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
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> > truth."
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