Misreported

Misreported is an adjective used to describe information that has been presented to an audience in a way that is inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise diverges from what is actually known. The term covers errors in facts, figures, wording, and emphasis that alter interpretation.

Misreporting can be inadvertent or due to limited verification, misinterpretation, or constraints in reporting environments. It occurs across domains such as journalism, scientific communication, statistics, and government or corporate communications. When intentional manipulation is present, the term misreporting may blur into misinformation or disinformation, but misreporting itself emphasizes the factual divergence regardless of motive.

Common causes include data-entry mistakes, flawed data collection, selective quotation or paraphrase, translation errors, misattribution of quotes, rounding or scaling errors, and political or editorial bias that highlights certain aspects while downplaying others.

Consequences can range from public confusion and misplaced policy responses to damaged credibility for journalists, researchers, and institutions. In some cases, misreporting prompts formal corrections, retractions, or thorough investigations.

Mitigation involves rigorous fact checking, transparent methodologies, archiving sources, independent verification, and clear correction policies. Newsrooms and organizations that publish numbers often publish corrections, updates, and explanations when mistakes are discovered.

Understanding misreporting is important for media literacy, data quality assurance, and responsible communication.