Classification and Analysis of General Misinformation and Covid-related Misinformation within Subreddits of Opposing Political Viewpoints

Research suggests that many Americans consume news from social media. This paper examines the role the social media site, Reddit, has in propagating misinformation and Covid-related misinformation in the subreddits r/liberal and r/conservative. The results produced in this paper suggest that both subreddits contribute significantly to the propagation of misinformation. Both misinformation and reception steadily increase throughout time from 01 January 2015 to 01 January 2022. The increase in reception over time could be indicative of an increase in engagement. The accompanying increase in misinformation could signify a continued increase in the propagation of misinformation in the future.