Introduction

Fake news is a type of news, presented through online or offline media, that is false or misleading. According to the University of Michigan Library Research Guides, fake news can be when a story is false and unverifiable. It can be used to alter a large audience’s views on many topics, creating confusion and misunderstanding about social and political issues, including the government. 

What are the Types of Fake News and How Can They Affect You?

There are five types of fake news, with each having different ways to manipulate society and the general public.

1. False/Deceptive News

   • This type of news has stories that are completely made up and false. They are deliberately made this way to mislead people and/or make money. This type of news is traditional fake news.

2. Misleading

   • This news is similar to false/deceptive news, however it has a certain point that it is promoting. The story may have a little bit of truth to it, but it is usually manipulated to promote an agenda. It’s also meant to trigger strong feelings in the audience to get them emotionally invested.

3. Slanted/biased

   • This type of news is based on a true story and has truthful elements, however, some facts are omitted to promote an agenda, similar to misleading news. The story can be presented with a biased view, which serves the same purpose of promoting an agenda.

4. Manipulated

   • Manipulated news has less to do with the actual story than the pieces of evidence involved. Images that are photoshopped may fall under this category.

5. Humor (satire/parody/jokes)

   • This type of news can include stories that are completely fake but have no intention to harm others. They may have the potential to fool people into actually thinking the news is real when in reality, it is not. North Dakota State Library says that satire news is for entertainment, but some people might believe it.

In general, all five types of fake news are deceptive in some way, whether they are meant to be or not. This deception can be used to sway the public’s opinion on an important issue or topic.

How to Identify Fake News

There are six steps that you can take to identify when you are being tricked by fake news. The steps are indicated below.

1. Look at the emotion and tone of the title

• A title that has a dramatic headline with unconventional punctuation (all capital letters, exclamation points, etc.) may be a false story since it is appealing to emotion rather than stating fact. Austin Community College says that a sign of a trustworthy source is that its headlines are less emotional and use standard punctuation and neutral language.

2. Consider the Source

• News from a source that is unknown to you or not well-known may not be trustworthy. If articles or any other form of news do not list an author or publication date, it is another clue that the source may not be reliable. Trusted news sources will list the author and publication date and it will usually be from a reputable source.

3. Check the Author, Date, and Funding Source

• Author: Depending on who the author is, you can find out if the source and story are credible. According to Peoples Bank, people should, research their credibility, reputation, and if they might have an agenda to promote.

• Date: Make sure that the publication date is somewhat recent. If it isn’t, then the story may just be an older story that has been published as if it is new.

• Funding Source: Some organizations that are legitimate can be influenced to write a biased story based on the sponsors. If someone funded an article, then the sponsor should be checked to make sure that their funding isn’t influencing the story.

4. Check Citations and Images

• If there are no citations of facts, quotes, and images, then the story could be false. There are many ways to take these pieces of information out of context, which can support a false story. Quotes can be taken from other stories and photos can be mislabelled and used incorrectly. If there are no citations, then it is likely that the story may be fabricated. Google reverse image search can find original photograph sources to identify the true source of photos.

5. If Found on Social Media, Investigate Further

• Stories that are first found on social media, such as Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook, can be false and misleading. Even if the story is not fabricated, the person who posted it can be biased or misleading about the topic. Stories that are found on social media should be checked for accuracy and unbias on trusted sources.

6. Fact Check

• If you are unsure of the credibility of a source and whether the story is true or not, use a fact-checking website to clear doubts. Some websites include Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact.com. Another person to ask would be a librarian since they are usually trained to distinguish questionable and quality information.

Past, Present, and Future of Fake News

Past

The term “fake news” has been in the headlines since 2017, but there have been examples of it throughout history. Two thousand years ago in the Roman Empire, Augustus Caesar was in a civil war with Mark Anthony. In order to win the war, Augustus had to get the public on his side, so he made false claims against his competitor. According to BBC, He claimed Mark Anthony, who was having an affair with Cleopatra, didn’t respect traditional Roman values at the time, like faithfulness and respect. Augustus also said he was always drunk, so he was unfit to hold office. Augustus was able to get these claims out to the public with short slogans printed onto coins, similar to posting something on social media. Eventually, Augustus won the war and became the emperor of Rome for 40 years. Similar to Augustus Caesar, politicians can also spread false information, which can help them win an election based on inaccurate claims. BBC also states that another advancement that revolutionized the spread of fake news was the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, which allowed for a quicker spread of news. During the 1700s, King George II was facing a rebellion and fake news from the rebellion side was being spread. Other publishers saw this story and started republishing it. While this harmed the King’s image, the rebellion was not a success. However, this is a good example of how fake news can be spread by big organizations to defame a person and widely change people’s opinions.

Present

In the present, there has been a significant increase in fake news. Similar to how the printing press created a faster way of communication, the internet and social media has greatly influenced how news is spread. News and information can be made globally public in a matter of seconds rather than weeks or months with the printing press. Many stories are created to make money from advertising, which causes outrageous headlines. This leads to clickbait, which intrigues people enough to click on a link and for the creator to make money from advertising. Fake news in the twenty-first century is used a lot in politics, similar to how it was used in the past with Augustus Caesar. Listed below are some examples of recent fake news on the internet.

• Share to Get Money from Bill Gates: A post on Facebook stated that if people shared a post of Bill Gates on Facebook, he would send them money. However, this picture of Bill Gates was edited to make it seem like he would send money.

• Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement: This was a story that stated the Pope supported Donald Trump for President. It originated from a satire website in 2016, which was taken from the website and became viral, along with other versions that stated that Pope Francis supported Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for President.

• Protestors Block Hurricane Rescue Efforts: This story shows images showing protestors blocking rescue efforts in Texas during Hurricane Harvey, which was in 2017. However, the photo shown was from a 2015 protest in Boston, which is a different setting from what the story stated.

Future

In the future, there will be more types of manipulated news than any other type of fake news. As technology advances, altering voices and faces becomes a threat. People will be able to use deep fakes, videos that have been altered to have someone else’s face on another body, to create manipulated news. The main reason why deepfakes have become more popular is because of artificial intelligence. Usually, AI is used to create or alter facial features, which contributes to fake news. As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, deepfakes also become more realistic, contributing to more confusion with fake news. Currently, deep fakes are used, however, they may be easier to spot since artificial intelligence is not yet advanced. Over time, technology will improve to create deep fakes that are more realistic and harder to notice.

Conclusion

Fake news is seen a lot in today’s world and it influences our lives greatly. Misinformation can change people’s thinking about politics and social problems. This can affect how the population is involved with the government. As seen in the examples with Augustus Caesar, the spread of misinformation can change wars as well as political leaders. People can learn how to identify deceptive news so that they can learn to avoid it and have an unbiased opinion on certain topics. This can help them when they are voting during elections so that they are making a choice that reflects the true qualities of politicians instead of the manipulated and biased information that they can ingest. It can also help them when making informed decisions in day-to-day life, which can make the society they live in healthier.