Disinformation is an act of misinforming, or deceptively communicating false knowledge or faulty intelligence. Disinformation is, simply, a manipulation aimed at influencimg the audience. Disinformation is, usually, a deliberately misleading and deceptive type of information announced publicly (or, othertimes, leaked privately) by a corporation, government, or (especially) by an intelligence agency in order to influence public opinion or a government in another nation.
The aim of disinformation is, usually, that the recipient to take the disinformation and, thus, is influenced to take the propagandist's desired direction. Through a combination of several disinformation messages makes up a system that has the power to influence opinions. Disinformation is usually launched in multiple informational outlets, of which is composed of several unrelated items.
Disinformation can take the form of news, advice, or knowledge, communicated by others or provide to an investigation. A common disinformation tactic is to mix truth, half-truths, and lies. Th most sucussful method to propagate disinformation is to gain the confidence of the recipient, by appealing to the subjects emotions, and using semi-neutral language interlaced with threads of disinformation.
Disinformation does not correspond equally with "wrong" information, as "wrong" information does not have the implicit intent to deceive the audience of the message. "Wrong" information occurs by accident, whereas disinformation is represented as being a true (while being patently false). Also, the individual or organization presenting the disinformation understands that the informations is incorrect.
See also: propaganda techniques