by Erin Vallely

On September 22nd, 2025, President Trump and other high-ranking administration officials made misleading and harmful statements about autism.  President Trump and other administration staff reinforced the false ideas that vaccines, and acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, are significant contributing factors to the rise in autism diagnoses rates.  As thorough scientific studies have shown, vaccines do not cause autism.  There is also not enough evidence to prove that acetaminophen directly impacts the likelihood of someone being born with autism.  It is important for people to be able to identify manipulative communication and misinformation so they can determine what information is true or false.   

Defining Manipulative Communication and Misinformation 

Manipulative communication refers to the use of language or behavior to influence or control someone in a way that benefits the manipulator, often at the expense of the other person’s well-being or autonomy. It often involves tactics like lying, emotional exploitation, or pressure to achieve a specific outcome.   

Misinformation refers to false or misleading information that is spread, either intentionally or unintentionally.  Misinformation can happen by word of mouth, on social media, or even through the news if it is not verified before sharing it.   

Recognizing manipulative communication and misinformation is important because it can mislead people and cause them to make harmful decisions, spread fear, and erode trust in institutions, media, and scientific consensus.  Being able to identify it helps individuals make informed choices and contributes to a more accurate and reliable picture of a topic. 

Tips for Identifying Manipulative Communication and Misinformation 

Manipulative communication and misinformation are easy to recognize when you know the signs.  By understanding what information is true vs false, you will be able to make informed decisions.  An informed decision is a decision you make after learning about a topic or issue.  For example, after you learn about nutrition, you know an apple is healthier than a soda.  Even if you still choose to drink the soda, you have the knowledge to know the consequences of that decision.  Here are some tips to help you identify manipulative communication and misinformation: 

• Generalizations: When someone starts a statement with words such as “everyone,” or “no one,” but does not provide evidence of where they got the information, the information should be questioned.  Generalizations that cannot be proved by verifiable facts are often not true.  Another example you might see is the use of the phrases “data shows…,” and “research shows…,” without telling you what specific data or research they are referencing.  Example: Everyone’s favorite candy is Smarties. 

• Stereotypes: Similar to generalizations, stereotypes combine many people or items into one category and are labeled with a value judgment that has not been scientifically proven.  A value judgment implies certain things about a group with the hope of making you feel the same way about the group.  These judgments are made without evidence to fully support them and often reflect the speaker’s personal feelings.  Example: People who like purple Smarties best are dumb. 

• Oversimplifying an Issue: Every problem society faces is complex and needs to be approached from multiple perspectives to find the best solutions.  You are likely being manipulated or deceived whenever you see a problem being blamed on only one thing or one group of people without acknowledging other factors that influence the situation.  Example: It is simple, we do not need more funding for teachers, our students just need to eat a package of Smarties every morning to get better grades. 

• Exaggerated Claims: People sometimes make up fake examples to support their argument without evidence.  If something sounds odd or suspicious, it probably is not true or accurate information.  People will do this because the recorded, verifiable evidence does not support their ideas.  People might also use overly simplified information to make their argument seem stronger.  Example: According to research, medical students who do not eat Smarties have a much higher failure rate on their medical certification exams. 

• Use of Overly Emotional / Emergent Language: People who often utilize overly emotional or urgent language such as “tragic,” “crisis,” “emergency,” and “epidemic” are trying to get you upset about an issue they believe is important.  They want you to react to it without taking the time to think about the situation and consider all sides of an issue.  Example: The local medical community is facing a crisis because the grocery store does not have any more Smarties and they are going to forget everything they learned in school!   

It is always important to consider different viewpoints, but it is equally important to be able to recognize when information is accurate and when it is not.  People will manipulate information or make things up in order to gain power over others.  When people believe manipulative communication and misinformation, they end up harming themselves and others.  You should always question who benefits from what is being shared and if it is factually true. 

Get Involved! 

Although manipulative communication and misinformation can be confusing, it is important to educate yourself on what you are hearing and how you can verify what you hear.  Here’s some resources that can help you get started. 

• Compare media outlet biases with this interactive chart https://app.adfontesmedia.com/chart/interactive  

• Check information you find on this fact checking website https://www.factcheck.org/  

• Watch this video for advice on how to make informed decisions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU1bhHeCkoU&t=191s  

If you have questions about the information above, or need help determining what information is accurate or false, please contact ATI at 607-753-7363 or by email at info@aticortland.org.