A Unifying Guide for Action: A Practical Synthesis of National Academies Documents on Mis- and Disinformation (2020-2025).

Abstract

The rapid spread of mis/disinformation has become a threat to public health. In response, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) produced nine publications on this topic between 2020-2025. This study qualitatively analyzes and synthesizes these publications to examine how approaches to misinformation are articulated across levels and sectors. The most recent, a 2025 Consensus Study Report, served as a reference framework; its 13 formal recommendations guided deductive coding of proposed actions across the remaining publications, with inductive refinement of emergent themes. As a result, seven themes emerged: 1) community engagement, 2) tools and techniques to counter misinformation, 3) communication, 4) social media and online platforms, 5) collaboration, 6) journalism, and 7) other priorities. Across these themes, approaches are distributed, but unevenly developed, across individual, community, institutional, and technological levels, involving a wide range of actors. Taken together, these publications call for practical, audience-specific communication strategies grounded in trust-building efforts, with genuine community involvement. Future work should evaluate the effectiveness of proposed approaches while considering the evolving regulatory, political, and social context in which misinformation persists.