In the weeks leading up to the 2016 US presidential election, you’ll likely remember encountering stories about the Pope endorsing Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton selling weapons to ISIS. Fake news stories like these are not new, but in the post-print social media age, the potential for misleading information to go viral is.
This topic guide will provide you with tools, strategies, and additional resources to help you cultivate informed skepticism about the information you encounter on the Internet, and shield yourself from the dangers of consuming and sharing dubious or flat out incorrect information.
Image source: DOCLVHUGO (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The term "fake news" is applied to many different forms of false information. Here a few categories and examples of viral fake news:*
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Fake News Websites Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media; some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits. Examples: |
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Fake Social Media Accounts Federal investigations since the 2016 presidential election have revealed the extent to which Russian trolls used fake Facebook accounts and other social media to sew discord. This practice is ongoing, but you can learn how to identify deceptive posts: |
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Hoax Websites Websites presenting deliberately fabricated falsehoods (usually on one specific topic or theme). Examples:
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Propaganda Websites Many fake news sites fall under this category, but there are also politically motivated sites that present biased reference/biographical information. Example
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Born Digital Images Digitally manipulated images often shared on social media, which are typically intended to prank a gullible audience. Examples: |
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Satirical Websites Satire/comedy sites which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news. Examples: |
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*Adapted from the four broad categories of fake news, according to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College
Practicing these strategies and habit of mind will help you become a savvy fact-checker of online content.
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1. Check for previous work - Has someone else has already done the investigative work?
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2. Go upstream - Go to the original story and evaluate it.
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3. Read laterally - What do other sources have to say?
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:) Check your emotions - Pause before sharing!
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There are several sources you can consult to fact-check claims on dubious websites and social media:
Remember that you also have access to a wealth of reliable sources through the library. Statistics and results from scientific studies are sometimes spun when reported in popular sources, so cut out the middleman and find the original source through the library's many subscription resources and recommended data sources.
The recent rise of viral fake news is a complex phenomenon that is part of a larger media literacy and sociopolitical crisis. This glossary of key terms can help you navigate challenging conversations around the issue.
| confirmation bias |
The tendency to believe information is credible if it conforms to the reader’s/viewer’s existing belief system, or not credible if it does not conform |
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| container collapse |
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| content farm/mill |
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| echo chamber |
“In news media an echo chamber is a metaphorical description of a situation in which information, ideas, or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission and repetition inside an “enclosed” system, where different or competing views are censored, disallowed, or otherwise underrepresented.” –Wikipedia |
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| fact checking |
The act of verifying assertions either prior to publication or after dissemination of the content |
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| filter bubble |
When search tools present with the stories we are likely to click on or share based on our past activity, potentially affirming our biases, we need may be experiencing what Eli Pariser calls a filter bubble. |
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| herding phenomenon |
As more journalists begin to cover a story, even more journalists are likely to join the herd, imitating the angle the story initially took rather than developing alternate or original approaches or angles. |
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| native advertising |
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| satisficing |
A portmanteau of the words satisfy and suffice introduced by Herbert Simon in 1956 to refer to the tendency of people, bounded by time limitations, to select good enough information over optimal information |
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| triangulation or cross verification |
Researchers establish validity by using several research methods and by analyzing and examining multiple perspectives and sources in the hope that diverse viewpoints will can shed greater light on a topic. |
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| virality |
The rapid circulation of media from one user to another. When we forward sensational stories, often from social media without checking their credibility in other sources, we increase their virality. |
Select reports, blog posts, and popular articles containing additional information on fake news and Americans' media consumption:
