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You may have heard some of these stories! There's one thing they have in common: THEY ARE NOT TRUE! This guide will: Explore what fake news/information is and why it's an important topic today! Provide strategies and resources for separating fact from fiction. Identify ways of finding accurate information. The ability to fight lies, tricks, and chaos online is an important skill to develop. The Verge
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A few definitions:
"Broadly speaking, fake news is disinformation that is disseminated for political purposes, economic gain, or entertainment." Univ. of San Francisco
According to an article in Politifact, the fact-checking website, "Fake news is made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word."
Remember: Fake news is not necessarily news you disagree with.
Fake news falls into a few different categories:
In the Information Age you deserve accurate and comprehensive information. Encountering lies and biased information by deceptive means is frustrating, not to mention time consuming. Everyone deserves the truth.
Individuals can act in harmful ways after reading fake news. A recent example is the Pizzagate story, wherein a person opened fire at a local pizza restaurant after reading a fabricated story. The spreading of lies and deceit creates hostility.
Sharing fake news or using it to support an argument can diminish your standing and credibility among your peers and colleagues.
Accusations made against credible news organizations cause mistrust in those organizations. These accusations can lead to a general mistrust of all media sources, including quality media outlets with high journalistic standards.
