Skip to Main Content

Evaluating Information : Home

How to ferret out "fake news" in a "post-truth" world
newspaper clip art Finding the truth
in a FAKE NEWS world

What is Fake News?

News: new or noteworthy information about what is going on in the world; current eventsIt's disseminated by news agencies for the purposes of keeping people informed.

Fake News: False, counterfeit, or distorted information presented as news.

There are many different types of fake news, and just as many motivations for creating it!

1) Fake News: Sources that entirely make up information or grossly distort actual news reports. 

 

2) Satire: Sources that use humor, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, and false information to comment on current events.  

 

3) Extreme Bias: Sources that come from a specific point of view and may use propaganda, unconnected information, and opinions distorted as facts.

 

4) Conspiracy Theory: Sources that promote kooky conspiracy theories.

 

5) Rumor Mill: Sources that use rumors, gossip, and unverified claims.

 

6) State News: Sources in which operate under government control and are restricted in what they can say or promote.

 

7) Junk Science: Sources that promote pseudoscience (not based on evidence) and scientifically uncertain claims.

 

8) Hate News: Sources that promote racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination.

9) Clickbait: Sources that provide generally credible content, but use exaggerated, misleading, or questionable headlines, social media descriptions, or images. 

Knowing WHAT fake news is and WHY it's produced will help to combat it!

Post-Truth

 post-truth adjective 

 Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

2016 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year