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Explained: What is False Information (Fake News)?

Explained: What is False Information? from PDST Technology in Education

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False Information v Fake News Experts now recommend avoiding the term ‘fake news’, or at least limit its use, as the term ‘fake news’ is closely associated with politics, and this a

can unhelpfully narrow the focus of the issue. The term ‘false information’ is preferable as it can refer to a diverse range of disinformation covering

such as health, environmental and economics across all platforms and genres, while ‘fake news’ is more narrowly understood as political news stor

 

What is False Information? Lots of things you read online especially in your social media feeds may appear to be true, often is not. False information is news, stories or hoaxes create

deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Usually, these stories are created to either in�uence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion

often be a pro�table business for online publishers. False information can deceive people by looking like trusted websites or using similar names and web ad

reputable news organisations.

According to Martina Chapman (Media Literacy Expert), there are three elements to fake news; ‘Mistrust, misinformation and manipulation’.

Explained: What is False Information (Fake News)? h o m e   /   t e a c h e r s   /   a d v i c e f o r t e a c h e r s   /   e x p l a i n e d : w h a t i s f a l s e i n f o r m a t i o n ( f a k e n e w s ) ?

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The Rise of False Information False information is not new, however it has become a hot topic since 2017. Traditionally we got our news from trusted sources, journalists and media outlet

required to follow strict codes of practice. However, the internet has enabled a whole new way to publish, share and consume information and news with ver

regulation or editorial standards.

Many people now get news from social media sites and networks and often it can be di�cult to tell whether stories are credible or not. Information overload

general lack of understanding about how the internet works by people has also contributed to an increase in fake news or hoax stories. Social media sites ca

part in increasing the reach of these type of stories.

Types of False Information There are di�ering opinions when it comes to identifying types of false information. However, when it comes to evaluating content online there are various ty

or misleading news we need to be aware of. These include:

 

1. Clickbait These are stories that are deliberately fabricated to gain more website visitors and increase advertising revenue for websites. Clickbait stories use sensationa

headlines to grab attention and drive click-throughs to the publisher website, normally at the expense of truth or accuracy.

 

2. Propaganda Stories that are created to deliberately mislead audiences, promote a biased point of view or particular political cause or agenda.

 

3. Satire/Parody Lots of websites and social media accounts publish fake news stories for entertainment and parody. For example; The Onion, Waterford Whispers, The Daily

 

4. Sloppy Journalism Sometimes reporters or journalists may publish a story with unreliable information or without checking all of the facts which can mislead audiences. For exam

during the U.S. elections, fashion retailer Urban Out�tters published an Election Day Guide, the guide contained incorrect information telling voters that they

‘voter registration card’. This is not required by any state in the U.S. for voting.

 

5. Misleading Headings Stories that are not completely false can be distorted using misleading or sensationalist headlines. These types of news can spread quickly on social media si

only headlines and small snippets of the full article are displayed on audience newsfeeds.

 

The economics of social media favour gossip, novelty, speed and “shareability”’ Simeon Yates  

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6. Biased/Slanted News Many people are drawn to news or stories that con�rm their own beliefs or biases and fake news can prey on these biases. Social media news feeds tend to d

news and articles that they think we will like based on our personalised searches.

 

The False Information Business Model The internet and social media have made it very easy for anyone to publish content on a website, blog or social media pro�le and potentially reach

audiences. With so many people now getting news from social media sites, many content creators/publishers have used this to their advantage.

False information can be a pro�table business, generating large sums of advertising revenue for publishers who create and publish stories that go viral. The m

a story gets, the more money online publishers make through advertising revenue and for many publishers social media is an ideal platform to share co

drive web tra�c.

 

False Information, Social Media, and the Filter Bubble In a recent article on media literacy, Hugh Linehan noted; “Media is no longer passively consumed – it’s created, shared, liked, commented on, attacked and d

all sorts of di�erent ways by hundreds of millions of people. And the algorithms used by the most powerful tech companies – Google and Facebook in particu

brilliantly designed to personalise and tailor these services to each user’s pro�le.”

When we go online or login to a social network we are generally presented with news, articles and content based on our own searches online. This

content tends to re�ect our own likes, views and beliefs and therefore isolating us from di�ering views and opinions. This is often referred to as a �lter bubb

 

What can we do about False Information? Google and Facebook have announced new measures to tackle fake news with the introduction of reporting and �agging tools. Media organisations

BBC and Channel 4 have also established fact checking sites While these are welcome developments, digital media literacy and developing skills to critically e

information are essential skills for anyone navigating the internet and especially for young people.

The vast amount of information available online and rise in fake news highlights the need for critical thinking. Children need to develop critical thinking from

age. This is a key skill for young people to develop as they enter into third level education and prepare themselves for the workplace.

How to spot False Information? There are a number of things to watch out for when evaluating content online. 1. Take a closer look

Check the source of the story, do you recognise the website? Is it a credible/reliable source? If you are unfamiliar with the site, look in the about s

�nd out more information about the author.

2. Look beyond the headline Check the entire article, many fake news stories use sensationalist or shocking headlines to grab attention. Often the headlines of fake new stori

caps and use exclamation points.

3. Check other sources Are other reputable news/media outlets reporting on the story? Are there any sources in the story? If so, check they are reliable or if they even ex

4. Check the facts Stories with false information often contain incorrect dates or altered timelines. It is also a good idea to check when the article was published, is

or an old news story?

5. Check your biases Are your own views or beliefs affecting your judgement of a news feature or report?

6. Is it a joke? Satirical sites are popular online and sometimes it is not always clear whether a story is just a joke or parody… Check the website, is it known for s

creating funny stories?

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Tags: FAKE NEWS MEDIA LITERACY SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Fact checking sites Snopes: snopes.com/

PolitiFact: politifact.com

Fact Check: factcheck.org/

BBC Reality Check: bbc.com/news/reality-check

Channel 4 Fact Check: channel4.com/news/factcheck

Reverse image search from Google: google.com/reverse-image-search

Deep Fakes and Visual Deception Deepfakes are fake videos created using digital software, machine learning and face swapping. Deepfakes are computer-created arti�cial videos in which ima

combined to create new footage that depicts events, statements or action that never actually happened. The results can be quite convincing. Deep fakes di�e

other forms of false information by being very di�cult to identify as false.

Find out more in Explained: What Are Deepfakes?

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