Fake News

Image of the front page of the January 20, 1915 edition of The Day Book newspaper. The headline pictured is, "U.S. Report Shows Rockefeller Agent Gave Out Fake News".

Fake News is:

False and/or misleading information
Not a recent problem

Social Media Changed Everything:

Anyone can "be a journalist"
Traditional news gatekeepers have less influence
- Newspapers
- Cable News Companies

Positive Changes:

It is more difficult for powerful people to hide information.
More people have opportunities to contribute news.

Negative Changes:

It is difficult for individuals to know if they are consuming real news.
Bad actors have more opportunities to take advantage of the uninformed.

Purpose of Fake News:

● Influence over viewers' opinions ●

● Increase revenue ●

Types of Fake News

Mis-information:

Fake News that is inadvertently spread

Someone believed a biased story and reposted it to a personal account.

Dis-information:

Fake News that is deliberately spread

Someone posted facts in an intentionally biased way to further an agenda.

Mal-information:

Fake News based in reality that is deliberately spread to cause harm

Someone created a false story and posted it in order to cause damage.

How Users Get Hooked:

Clickbait:

Pictures/Headlines entice users to click on a link
The link delivers users to a website
Advertisers on the website pay the website's owner

Fake News Posts’ Inflated Popularity:

Paying other users to like/repost
Creating false accounts to like/repost
Installing malware or bots that automatically like/repost

Don't Become Part of the Problem!

Mis-information can be just as damaging as Dis-information or Mal-information.

What Can You Do?

Use SIFT and Triangulation to verify information
Read more than the headline and first paragraphs
- Beginnings of fake news articles often look credible
Determine a source's purpose
- Read
  - Reputable sources
- Fake
  - Dis-information or Mal-information
- Satire
  - Humor and exaggeration to criticize Real sources
    - Example: The Onion

Test Your Fake News Spotting Skills:

Spot the Troll
(Clemson University Media Forensics Hub) Test your skills at deciding if social media content is from legitimate source or a troll.

The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.), 30 Jan. 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Phillips, W., & Milner, R. M. (2021). You are here: A field guide for navigating polarized speech, conspiracy theories, and our polluted media landscape. MIT Press.