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Sep 11, 2020 · The term “fake news” took off in 2015 when news outlets reported on the prevalence of fake online articles.These fake articles gained steam to the point that during the 2016 election cycle ...
- Consider the source. In recent months, we’ve fact-checked fake news from abcnews.com.co (not the actual URL for ABC News), WTOE 5 News (whose “about” page says it’s “a fantasy news website”), and the Boston Tribune (whose “contact us” page lists only a gmail address).
- Read beyond the headline. If a provocative headline drew your attention, read a little further before you decide to pass along the shocking information.
- Check the author. Another tell-tale sign of a fake story is often the byline. The pledge of allegiance story on abcnews.com.co was supposedly written by “Jimmy Rustling.”
- What’s the support? Many times these bogus stories will cite official — or official-sounding — sources, but once you look into it, the source doesn’t back up the claim.
People also ask
Are fake news sites still a problem?
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How do you spot fake news?
- There are no sources. If a story doesn’t contain sources, it’s not credible. Most reliable journalistic outlets won’t be afraid to state where their information is coming from.
- The author is ambiguous. Though the author may not be trying to present false information as fact, the information you’re reading may not be overly verifiable.
- The headline is total clickbait. Headlines that shout at you in all capital letters, or end with ellipses generally don’t have valid information, and instead, is merely trying to encourage you to click and read the story.
- The intent is for social media sharing. Sometimes when reading an article, you can tell that its intention is to get many shares on social media, and potentially go viral.
- What Is "Fake News"?
- How to Flag Fake News Sites
- Who's Writing Fake News?
"Fake news" refers to news stories that are made up, even if they contain a kernel of truth. Fake news sites exist solely to harvest clicks for ad money or push a government's agenda. By contrast, news organizations check facts, correct errors and generally pride themselves on brands distinguished by accuracy. Mixed in with legitimate news on your ...
The best starting place for checking out a suspicious news site is to look for more information about the outlet. You can check the site's About page, and you can also Google it. The site may be listed on Snopes as a purveyor of false rumors, or there may be a Wikipedia page devoted to the site that links to further sources. You can also check to s...
According to DiResta, the Stanford misinformation researcher, both opportunists and state-affiliated organizations are in the business of publishing falsehoods in the guise of news sites. Reporters traced some fake news sites that were prominent in 2016 to young people in Macedonia and Romania. They made ad moneyfrom site visitors' clicks. That kin...
Sep 30, 2019 · There’s a big difference between websites that intentionally trick readers with fake stories, and satirical websites like The Onion, Waterford Whispers News, Clickhole, and The Daily Mash. These websites take points from real news stories and exaggerate them in a humorous way in order to entertain their audience.
Reputable news outlets will not share newsworthy stories in a meme. Look the story up elsewhere to see if anyone is reporting on it and what they are saying. If it is a link to a website, check out the URL. Some fake websites create fake websites that look like other news agencies. Look for inconsistencies in the URL, such as spelling errors.
Jul 19, 2018 · People saw an average of 5.45 articles from false news sites between October 7 and November 14, 2016. Guess, Nyhan, and Reifler also found that false news consumption was concentrated among a small subset of Americans. Nearly six in 10 visits to false news sources were from the 10 percent of people with the most-conservative information diets.
