Introduction Understanding why misinformation sticks — at the level of neuroscience and cognitive science — doesn't just explain the phenomenon. It points toward the responses that actually work. For anyone engaged in public affairs, strategic communication, education, or any field where truth-telling is a professional commitment, this is essential knowledge. The First Problem: Illusory Truth When a false belief gets corrected, the correction doesn't erase the original claim.

Introduction For most of my career in military public affairs, the information environment was shaped by human decisions — what to say, when to say it, and through which channels. The challenge was strategic: how do you communicate credibly in a complex, contested environment while maintaining institutional trust? That challenge hasn't gone away. It has multiplied. A growing body of peer-reviewed research and policy analysis confirms what many communicators have sensed for ye