Advancing the Study of Political Misinformation Across Countries and Platforms—Introduction to the Special Issue

The global spread of political misinformation poses serious challenges to democracies, eroding trust and distorting public discourse. However, research has largely focused on WEIRD countries—Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic—limiting our understanding of how misinformation operates across diverse political, cultural, and technological contexts. This special issue addresses these gaps through comparative, cross-platform, and interdisciplinary perspectives. The articles explore how political and media systems shape misinformation, the role of individual resilience, and how platform-specific features—across social media, messaging apps, and traditional media—affect the spread of false information. Studies from non-WEIRD regions offer insights into distinct vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive approaches. Together, these contributions advance our understanding of misinformation as a global challenge and offer guidance for strengthening democratic resilience in varied information environments.