Types of Fake News
There are many ways to define fake news. While some people dismiss as "fake news" any information that is unwelcome or unflattering to them, this guide will help you become a more discerning reader and viewer of news media. The links below define some useful categories to keep in mind.
Parody - assumes the appearance of news as a form of humor (e.g., The Onion, The Daily Show)
Misinformation - presents inaccurate or incomplete information for one or more of the following reasons:
- to sensationalize a topic for increased attention (e.g., clickbait)
- to support a particular point of view (e.g., bias)
- to deliberately mislead people (e.g., disinformation, hoax, propaganda)
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History of Fake News
Fake news isn't new. Click the image to read about notorious examples throughout history.
"Fake News: Historical Timeline" by Common Sense Media is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Resources for Verifying and Fact Checking
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Alexa.comAlexa allows you to plug in a website and learn which other sites are referring users to it, and what Google keywords will lead you to that site. Can help you spot a group of news websites that are related in certain ways.
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Factcheck.orgA nonprofit organization which aims to monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players.
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Know Your MemeA website dedicated to documenting Internet phenomena such as viral videos and image macros.
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LinkedInLinkedIn can be used to discover the credentials and areas of expertise of authors of news stories. However, use additional tools such as a general web search to verify what you find or to reveal competing claims.
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PolitifactThe Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact researches the claims of politicians and checks their accuracy.
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SnopesA well established debunking site which provides citations to its sources.
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RetractionWatch.comA blog that reports on retractions of scientific papers.
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Poynter Institute for Media StudiesPoynter Institute is a nonprofit journalism school in St. Petersburg, Florida. It provides breaking news and resources about fact-checking on its site.