The Patina of Distrust: What People Do with Misinformation Wins Best Information Science Book Award

The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that he Patina of Distrust: What People Do with Misinformation, written by Eugenia Mitchelstein, Pablo J. Boczkowski, María Celeste Wagner, and Facundo Suenzo, and published by MIT Press, is one of two recipients of the ASIS&T Best Information Science Book Award for 2026. The award’s purpose is to recognize the outstanding book in information science published during the preceding calendar year. The award is given to the author(s) whose book is judged to have made the most outstanding contribution in the field of information science during the year.

As noted in the nomination, the book "offers a novel, human-centered exploration of information behavior that directly addresses the core mission of information science. While traditional scholarship often isolates the supply and circulation of misinformation, this work investigates the 'missing link' of contemporary information processes: how users assess, interpret, and utilize information in their everyday lives."

Upon learning of the book’s selection as the ASIS&T 2026 Best Information Science Book of the Year, author Eugenia Mitchelstein said “We are deeply honored by this recognition... The Patina of Distrust examines a critical yet overlooked dimension of the misinformation crisis: the dynamics of audience reception. Drawing on a historically grounded, mixed-methods study of Argentina, the book introduces the concept of the "patina of distrust"—a societal buffer that, much like the protective layer on an artwork, shields people from the harmful effects of misinformation but also from efforts to correct it. This book grew out of a desire to understand how audiences navigate the information environment and what that reveals about trust, media, and democracy.”

About ASIS&T

The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the only professional association that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. For nearly 90 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.