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What is Fake News?

Fake news is "a work of fiction that is presented as a factual news story, often with the intent of deceiving the reader into believing it is factual and enticing them to share it."

DiLascio-Martinuk, Tracey M. “Fake News.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2018

Think you can tell the difference between fake news and real news...test your skills, take the quiz.

Types of Fake News

Satire or Parody - no intention to cause harm but the potential to fool someone

Misleading Content - misleading use of information to frame an issue, person or group

Imposter Content - when genuine sources are impersonated

Fabricated Content - content is completely false and the intention is to deceive or cause harm

False Connection - when headlines, visuals or captions do not support content

False Context - when genuine content is shared with false contextual information

Manipulated Content - when genuine information or imagery is manipulated to deceive

How to Spot Fake News

Consider the source

Read beyond the headline

Check the author/author's credibility

What is the support/source

Check the date

Is it a joke, parody, satire

Check for bias - your bias, an author's bias, the source's bias

Still not sure then ask a librarian

Information from FactCheck.org at https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/