Fake News and Alternative Facts: Finding Accurate News: Home

Those who complete this guide will be able to:

1. Explain what fake news is.
2. Examine the consequences of using or sharing fake news.
3. Evaluate the accuracy and purpose of a news story.
4. Identify sources of accurate information online.

What is Fake News?
According to the fact-checking website, Politifact, "Fake news is made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word."

Types of Fake News

• Fake/Hoax News - news that is fabricated with the intention of misleading or confusing readers
• Misleading News - news stories that report quotes, images, statistics out of context, some of these stories can be old stories that are re-reported with a new misleading headline
• Mimic Websites - fake news websites that mimic the look of trusted news sources in order to fool readers into thinking a story is real
• Satire - fake and ironic news stories that are intended to be funny or entertaining. Examples: The Onion, The Borowitz Report
• Clickbait - news that is promoted with dramatic or misleading headlines that do not reflect the content of the actual story
• Alternative/Alternate Facts - A different interpretation of facts, usually derived from a misinterpretation of reports or by focusing only on a subset of the available information

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