Skip to Main Content
 

Fake News: About Fake News

The guide will help you spot and fight fake news using useful checklists, fact-checking tools, library resources, and other sources.

There are several categories of fake news. The following are broad ones: FAKE NEWS,JOURNALISM,NEWSPAPER

  • Intentionally Deceptive news use false or misleading information that has been fabricated deliberately to either make money through number of clicks, or to cause confusion or discontent or as sensationalist propaganda. These are news stories created entirely to deceive readers.
  • Misleading news including conspiracy theories are news stories that report a fact, event, quote, statistics, images and other media out of context. Some of these news can also be old stories re-shared on Facebook and through other social media channels.
  • Clickbait-y Headlines these are false news that use misleading headlines that catch readers' attention and make them click on the news; and usually they do not reflect the content of the actual story.
  • Satire or Comedy news use humor, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, and false information to comment on current events. These news stories offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/zh/7/73/The_Daily_Mash_logo.pngas actual/literal news. e.g. The Onion and Daily Mash.

There is no clear cut between categories, some news articles fall under more than one category.

To understand the Fake News Universe check The Guide To Fake News Terminology

Facebook has integrated fact-checking organizations into its platform to spot fake news.

Fact Check now available in Google Search.To learn more on this, visit the Google Developers fact check page.

Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Michael A. Caulfield.

According to the Middle East Media Use Report (2016) younger adults are much more likely to rely on social media as an important source of news (75% 18-24 year olds vs 40% 45 and older) and to consider it reliable (53% vs 30%)