Method critique is not authoritarian support

Distinguish methodological or definitional criticism of misinformation research from political alignment with bad actors; calling out sloppy or expansive definitions of 'misinformation' is a scholarly defense of rigor, not an endorsement of authoritarian propaganda. The piece shows a concrete case where a critic (Dan Williams) was portrayed as aiding authoritarians by a Time-cited article, prompting a rebuttal. — If adopted as a public framing, it protects academic debate from being delegitimized as political collusion and reduces the chilling effect on researchers and commentators who question prevailing narratives.