Point and Line to Disinformation
Or If Graphic Design Can Influence the Perception of Political Journalism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.82068/pgjournal.2026.23.42.03Keywords:
Media Bias, Logical Fallacies, Debunking, Information Visualization, Evidence-Based DesignAbstract
Political news is characterised by the recurrence of cognitive distortions, polarised perspectives, systematic biases, and fallacious arguments, all of which significantly contribute to the shaping of public opinion. Given that in democratic systems political action is defined by the will of the people, limiting the impact of these agents and ensuring an adequately informed citizenry is a paramount priority for the proper functioning of public affairs. This research investigates the relationship between visual communication and political news, focusing on the potential efficacy of graphic design within the fight against misinformation. Following a review of the existing literature, an experiment is conducted to verify the specific effectiveness of one of the best practices suggested in the literature (inoculation theory) combined with a graphic representation (Euler diagrams) in mitigating a specific logical fallacy (false cause). The results show a substantial equivalence between the experimental and control groups, but simultaneously highlight a greater capacity for recognising the distortion among those who demonstrate an understanding of the fallacy. Further investigations are therefore encouraged to explore the multiple graphic and design combinations offered by the proposed theoretical framework, while integrating into evaluations additional relevant variables such as cognitive attention and engagement.
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