Misinformation

People can get much misinformation from reading secondary sources. They may learn such "facts " as a theater owner made a fortune selling soft drinks at his theater by putting the message "Drink Coke " and that people use less than 10% of their brains. Researchers often complain that a study that supports one position is misinterpreted and used as evidence for the opposite position. We have found the same article summarized in two newspapers, but the newspaper´s headlines are directly opposite.

Misinformation on the web A nice summary of the situation with some useful links.
Misinformation in psychological textbooks (useful tips and dispels the "fact" that Eskimos have over 100 words for snow)
Misinformation about medical and psychological treatments (highlights the need for randomly assigning participants to groups, using placebos, and using blind techniques--From Jerry Adler's article "A Big Dose of Skepticism" on page 22 of the December 10, 2007 issue of Newsweek).
Tips on not being fooled by reports in the popular press.

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