Misinformation spreads fastest when it confirms what people already fear or believe. Many false claims start as deliberate disinformation and then move through networks of people who share them sincerely.
Communities of color are frequent targets of false information about voting and health, partly because of well-earned distrust in institutions. Health falsehoods during the COVID-19 pandemic spread in many communities, and some built on real history such as the Tuskegee study, which made them harder to counter.
Misinformation is also built into old racial myths that are still repeated as fact, such as claims that Black people feel less pain or that immigrants commit more crime. Correcting it works best when trusted messengers in a community share accurate information and when platforms reduce the reach of false content. Media literacy helps people check sources before sharing.