Poor Journalism as a Distinct Phenomenon from Disinformation: Definition and Taxonomy

Disinformation has become one of the main contemporary social and political concerns. However, both public and academic debates continue to exhibit an epistemological confusion between disinformation—characterized by a deliberate intention to deceive—and the errors or deficiencies arising from journalistic practice. The aim of this study is to conceptually define these errors under the phenomenon of poor journalism and to propose a taxonomy that allows it to be examined as distinct from disinformation. To this end, a qualitative integrative systematic review was conducted, based on the inductive analysis of peer-reviewed academic publications in Spanish and English, indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO Host. The analysis identifies two main analytical dimensions: deficient practices and structural causes. The findings show that poor journalism does not stem from a deliberate intention to deceive, but rather from structural factors, commercial logics, and corporate interests within the media ecosystem. This phenomenon is intensified by a circular logic in which the same causes that generate it also reinforce it. This study helps to clarify a relevant conceptual gap by offering a definition and a taxonomy that may be used in future research and media literacy initiatives.