[Ads-l] Antedating of "Disinformation"

Sun May 14 20:38:58 UTC 2023

Below is an instance of "disinformation" (in English) within a
political editorial from 1930. The editorial maintains that a
legislative agenda is "good only in part". Some of the participants
are "spreading propaganda". The term "propaganda" in the editorial
suggests, to me, the deliberate action of spreading misinformation.
But the term "disinformation" is still open to interpretation.

Date: June 19, 1930
Newspaper: The Friend Sentinel
Newspaper Location: Friend, Nebraska
Article: Tom Allen and the "Dear People"
Note: Editorial
Quote Page 4, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/image/690412869/

[Begin excerpt]
In the coming election we are going to experience a program of
"information" and "disinformation" on the municipal league program,
which I think is good only in part, and that part should have been
passed by the last legislature.

People who will oppose the referendum will be termed as tools of the
"power trust" and the supporters will be called hirelings of the oil
engine people".

The merits pro and con will be so buried that the people will depend
on what "they say" rather on what the group who are unselfish write or
say.
. . .
Continually spreading propaganda creating distrust is bound to hurt
any governmental subdivision and industry, and corrects no evil unless
proven true.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Sun, May 14, 2023 at 4:22 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> ...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
> > > > >>
> > > > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >> The American Dialect Society -
> > >
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> > > <
> > >
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org/__;!!OToaGQ!oDfjrZ3qYRTnw0xdiwsrGKxS2Hs3-p6wN_Q5-YtFq_cDu6lR5b1roEVEUGV4QmyGc48QtIQYC4K5-JMuY-eAO7mQQA$
> > > > <
> > >
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> > > >
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > > >
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> > > > <
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> > > >
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> > --
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> >
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> >
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