What is fake news?
Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.
False Information vs Fake News
Experts recommend everyone to use the term “false information” instead of “fake news”, fake news is more associated with political news stories. “False information” is more preferred, because it refers to a diverse range of misinformation and disinformation covering topics such as health, environmental and economics across all platforms and genres.
How to spot fake news
1. Check the source.
2. Watch out for fake photos (Photoshop).
3. Check if the story is in other places.
4. Check if the site has a lot of pop up ads, uses ALL CAPS or makes you feel a certain way. If those apply- it may be fake.
5. If it is too outlandish, it might be satire.
6. Check the date, reposting old news stories doesn’t make them relevant to current events.
7. Check the author, do a quick search on them.
8. Ask the experts.
Facts about fake news
33% of all content on the internet is fake news or hate speech
85% of people have fallen for clickbait articles
The military is the most cited profession in fake Facebook profiles
83% of Americans use Facebook as a source of news
The number of hate speech posts removed by Facebook increased to 9.6m. in 2020
62% Brazilians confess to believing fake news.
Fake news website can spread fake news faster than real news
Social media proficiency does not correlate with digital literacy
Businesses are developing countermeasures against misinformation
Schools are incorporating digital literacy into curricula
Fake news examples are not new
Why is it harmful?
News articles that are intentionally and verifiably false designed to manipulate people’s perceptions of reality—has been used to influence politics and promote advertising. But it has also become a method to stir up and intensify social conflict. Stories that are untrue and that intentionally mislead readers have caused growing mistrust among American people. In some cases, this mistrust results in incivility, protest over imaginary events, or violence.
Overall fake news makes it harder for people to see the truth. This is why it is important for people to seek out news with as little bias as humanly possible. News services like AP News and Reuters strive to provide accurate, neutral coverage of major events.