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http://iue.libguides.com/fakenews
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Indiana University East Campus Library
What Makes a News Story Fake?
1. You can't verify its claims.
A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its sources. It it does, these links may not lead to the articles outside of the site's domain or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic.
2. Fake news appeals to emotion.
Fake news plays on your feelings- it makes you angry or happy or scared. This is to ensure you won't do anything as pesky as fact-checking.
3. Authors usually aren't experts.
Most authors aren't even journalists, but paid trolls.
4. It can't be found anywhere else.
If you look up the main idea of a fake news article, you. might not find any other news outlet (real or not) reporting on the issue.
5. Fake news come from fake sites.
Did your article come from abc.news.com.co? Or Realnewrightnow.com? These and a host of other URLs are fake news sites.
The Collins English Dictionary defines fake news as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting" ("Fake News," n.d.). The ability to tell accurate news from fake news is an important skill that you'll use for the rest of your life. This LibGuide will give you valuable insight in telling fact from fiction online, define fake news, offers strategies for assessing news quality, and suggests reputable fact-checking sources.
Carson (2017) identified five common types of fake news:
1. Intentionally deceptive
These are news stories created entirely to deceive readers. The 2016 US election was rife with examples claiming that “x celebrity has endorsed Donald Trump”, when that was not the case.
2. Jokes taken at face value
Humour sites such as the Onion or Daily Mash present fake news stories in order to satirise the media. Issues can arise when readers see the story out of context and share it with others.
3. Large-scale hoaxes
Deceptions that are then reported in good faith by reputable news sources. A recent example would be the story that the founder of Corona beer made everyone in his home village a millionaire in his will.
4. Slanted reporting of real facts
Selectively-chosen but truthful elements of a story put together to serve an agenda. One of the most prevalent examples of this is the PR-driven science or nutrition story, such as 'x thing you thought was unhealthy is actually good for you'.
5. Stories where the ‘truth’ is contentious
On issues where ideologies or opinions clash - for example, territorial conflicts - there is sometimes no established baseline for truth. Reporters may be unconsciously partisan, or perceived as such. (Carson, 2017, bottom paragraph)
References
Carson, J. (2017, -02-08). What is fake news? its origins and how it grew in 2016. The Telegraph Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/fake-news-origins-grew-2016/
This quick 3-minute YouTube video created by FactCheck.org will provide you with a number of good tips for sorting fake news from more reliable information such as read beyond the headline, check the byline, and find and evaluate cited sources for accuracy:
FactCheck. (n.d.). How to spot fake news. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkwWcHekMdo
Review how to spot fake news by reading this infographic. When you are ready, you are invited to engage with the "Bad News" online game and "Blue Feed, Red Feed."
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions [IFLA]. (2017). How to spot fake news. https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/167
The Bad News Game describes this online interactive as: "In Bad News, you take on the role of fake news-monger. Drop all pretense of ethics and choose a path that builds your persona as an unscrupulous media magnate. But keep an eye on your ‘followers’ and ‘credibility’ meters. Your task is to get as many followers as you can while slowly building up fake credibility as a news site. But watch out: you lose if you tell obvious lies or disappoint your supporters! Learn more about this game by reviewing the About section of the website" (DROG & Gusmanson, n. d., About Section). Click on the Bad News screenshot to play the game.
DROG & Gusmanson (n. d.). Bad news. https://www.getbadnews.com/en
The Wall Street Journal presents Liberal Facebook posts and Conservative Facebook posts side-by-side on healthcare, guns, abortion, etc.
Wall Street Journal (19 August 2019). Blue feed, red feed. http://graphics.wsj.com/blue-feed-red-feed/
Thank you for visiting this UNF library guide about Fake News! Take this low stakes quiz to check your understanding about fake news.
