Binghamton University Journal Spotlights Undergraduate Research on Disinformation

In an era dominated by concerns over “fake news” and the manipulation of information, Binghamton University has released a special edition of its Undergraduate Research Journal dedicated entirely to the study of disinformation.

The publication, formerly known as Alpenglow, features original research conducted by undergraduate students who participated in Associate Professor Sidney Dement’s Source Project stream focused on disinformation and naiveté. The collection is now available online, showcasing the work of first-year students immersed in humanities and social sciences research.

“It gives students the ability to get the experience of real academic publishing and what that process is like,” explained Lia Richter, a senior double-majoring in history and economics who serves as the journal’s managing editor. Richter is only the second undergraduate to hold this position, which was previously filled by graduate students.

The timing of the project proved particularly significant, as the course ran during 2022 and 2023 – a period that coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, providing students with real-world examples of information manipulation at the highest levels of international politics.

“Putin’s speech the morning of the invasion was full of what we had been studying in terms of disinformation, what it is and how it’s used,” Dement noted. “It was also timely in what was happening in the American discourse about media, and what some people called ‘fake news.'”

The publication process is rigorous and mirrors professional academic journals. Students must secure a faculty sponsor for their work before submitting it through an online portal. The editorial board then evaluates submissions against journal requirements. Accepted papers undergo multiple rounds of blind review and revisions by both students and faculty members.

The special edition features seven papers that demonstrate the remarkable breadth of research conducted by these undergraduate scholars. Topics range from the psychology behind internet memes to historical case studies of disinformation and its consequences.

One student explored the evolution and impact of the “Pepe the Frog” meme, while another examined how the “welfare queen” stereotype of the 1980s contributed to eroding public empathy. Other research projects included an analysis of the bargaining model in political science as applied to Russian history, and an investigation of the Reid technique of police interrogation and its connection to false confessions.

Some students took a historical approach, with papers on the epistemic crisis following the September 11 terrorist attacks, a case study of Ann Cooper Hewitt’s forced sterilization in the 1930s, and an examination of anti-Semitic cartoons in the Soviet Union that revealed the complex interplay between disinformation and satire.

The digital journal has attracted a global readership, including the students themselves, their personal networks, and academics interested in undergraduate scholarship. Professor Dement emphasized that undergraduate publications offer unique value in academic discourse.

“These papers are often accessible to the lay reader because the writers are closer to the general audience than someone who has been thinking or writing about these topics professionally for 10 years or more,” Dement explained. The papers also demonstrate what’s possible for undergraduate researchers, potentially inspiring other professors and students.

Perhaps most importantly, the collection highlights that disinformation is not merely a modern phenomenon tied to social media or the internet. “The truth is that people have manipulated the truth to achieve selfish or harmful ambitions for as long as we’ve been around,” Dement reflected. “Thinking about it through that lens provides a lot of important context.”

This special edition represents a significant contribution to the growing field of disinformation studies while showcasing the intellectual capabilities of undergraduate researchers at Binghamton University, demonstrating how academic institutions can engage students in addressing some of today’s most pressing social and political challenges.