The Soviet KGB was known to use disinformation, in particular through the use of forgeries, to discredit, denigrate, and confuse its enemies, including Ukrainian communities in the West that supported Ukrainian independence.

South Africa too sought to denigrate its political prisoners in this way.” He further maintained that “more Palestinians have been killed in targeted assassinations of combatants Israel than were judicially executed in South Africa.” He concluded that “However cruel and inhuman the conditions of Palestinian prisoners, however unfair the trials that sent them to prison, and however demeaning their characterization as 'criminals' or 'terrorists,' we should not forget that Palestinian prisoners are the fortunate ones.

Professor Surjit Hans also notes that the only role of Bhai Bala was to denigrate the name of Nanak and that Guru Nanak prophesizes about a greater bhagat (Hundal) to come: "The first clue to grasping the true character of the Bala Janamsakhi is the fact that the persons related most closely to Guru Nanak are presented in uncomplimentary light.

However, there's another word "5 US cent (五美分)" used by some pro-party netizens to denigrate anti-party, pro-democracy comments, with the implication that those commentators are hired by the governments of the United States, Taiwan or other "western" countries.