If you have been following the series so far you would have seen how misinformation over the ages across different media has significantly influenced culture and politics. The History of Misinformation Opinion series is a reflection of the author’s opinion, inspired by the Age of Mistrust, a talk held by the British Academy in London in February 2025. The 3-part series was commissioned by the City Law School journal, Lawbore. 

In the first two articles, we read about

The last speaker, Professor Yasmin Khan is Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford and took a slightly different approach in her submission from the previous speakers. The focus of her talk was on the continuous effects of past misinformation on us today and how it influences our understanding of history itself. Professor Yasmin, gave an account of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 also referred to as the Indian Mutiny. Accounts by British and Indian historians reveal to us two competing narratives of the very same events. British historians paint the rebellion as merely an army uprising rather than a widespread national movement. Indian sources however showed that the rebellion was more than an army uprising among the Indian soldiers but also brought together rulers, landlords, peasants and common people across the whole of India. The British accounts downplayed the anti-colonial nature of the rebellion and exaggerated the division between Hindus and Muslims in order to weaken Indian nationalism efforts. 

Professor Khan stressed the fact that to gain a true picture of any event, it is necessary to view both accounts closely and consider that there may be multiple narratives within a single piece of evidence or story. Her conclusion was that as human beings, our perception of truth is therefore an emotional response to information. In her own words, ‘’we hold on to biases out of a longing to belong to a particular group’’. This she asserts is evidence of our greater need for entertainment than for truth. 

The lessons from all three presentations clearly place the responsibility on the reader or viewer to discern for themselves with each piece of information taking our own personal biases into account. They key questions to ask yourself are; 

• Whose account of events am I being told? 
• What is the weight of the sources I am exposed to? 
• Is the balance of sources equal on both sides of the narrative? 
• Who may be silenced in this story? 
• Whose voice seems to be missing? 

The history of misinformation is analogous to an innocent game of Chinese whispers where a simple piece of information is altered, exaggerated, and by the end the truth itself is lost in myth; taking on the individual biases and emotions of each individual who receives and passes on the information. The talk reinforces what we all feared about misinformation but more importantly it affirms the need for responsible journalism on the one hand, and the need for self-awareness against confirmation bias on an individual level. 

Across all three articles, the History of Misinformation series has illustrated how misinformation has evolved—but not disappeared—throughout history. Whether in Ancient Greece, Victorian-era Britain, or post-colonial India, the manipulation of information has consistently served power, reinforced bias, and distorted justice.

Professor Eidinow showed us that misinformation often thrives on cultural assumptions and spectacle. Professor Jackson highlighted the media’s complicity in spreading politically motivated falsehoods. Finally, Professor Khan emphasized the lasting impact of historical bias and the emotional pull of national narratives.

The central takeaway? Misinformation isn’t just a product of technology—it’s a reflection of human psychology and power structures. In an era of algorithmic amplification, the responsibility to question, verify, and critically evaluate information lies more heavily on each of us than ever before.