I think there is a conflation of literal fake news and propaganda. Propaganda can be subtle and not involve outright lies. A lot of propaganda consists of unsub

I think there is a conflation of literal fake news and propaganda. Propaganda can be subtle and not involve outright lies. A lot of propaganda consists of unsubstantiated rumors or speculation. Sometimes it is helpful to read unsubstantiated rumors or speculation because it is notable. For example, the United States recently claimed that a foreign power was targeting its diplomats with a high powered microwave weapon. Substantial evidence was never produced, but American news media reported the story uncritically. I think that much of the reporting on this topic was disinformation or propaganda. At the same time, if I wanted to read about it, I would expect search engines not to make the editorial decision to censor this reporting. Even if it is disinformation, informed people should be aware of these accusations. In this case, I don’t expect the search engine to return the “truth” but rather “what is being said on this topic.”