Know Your Audience
When responding to misinformation, it helps to ask a simple question first: who are you actually trying to reach? The person making the claim may be firmly committed and unlikely to change their mind in that moment. In many public conversations—especially online—the more persuadable audience is often the people quietly watching.
Those observers may be far more important than they appear. Many people consume information inside social circles, media feeds, or online communities where the same views are repeated and opposing perspectives are rarely presented fairly. They may be encountering a different viewpoint for the first time. Even if the person posting misinformation is not persuadable, others reading the exchange may be open, uncertain, or simply lacking context.
That means not every response needs to be aimed at “winning” an argument. Often, the better goal is to provide calm, factual context for everyone else following along. A clear reply can interrupt the impression that a false claim is uncontested or universally accepted.
In MAiD discussions, some claims are made less to invite genuine dialogue and more to provoke outrage or repetition. Arguing endlessly with someone committed to misinformation can amplify their message and drain your time. But a concise, evidence-based response may still be valuable because it gives readers something else to consider.
Research on misinformation and online communication suggests that public corrections often help the wider audience—even when the original speaker is unlikely to change their mind. This is especially important in echo chambers, where observers may have had little exposure to accurate counterpoints.
For example, if someone claims MAiD is targeting vulnerable people, you may not change their mind. But readers may benefit from seeing that Health Canada’s Fifth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying examined this issue and found the opposite pattern: MAiD recipients were more likely to come from higher income areas and less likely to be from materially deprived neighbourhoods. Presenting evidence like that can give observers important context they may not otherwise encounter.
Knowing your audience also helps you decide when not to engage. Some exchanges are not productive, and your time may be better spent posting accurate information elsewhere.
Before replying, ask: Am I speaking to this person—or to everyone listening? Often, the second audience matters most.
Echo Chamber (media) - Wikipedia