Examples of Fake News
Descriptions and definitions of fake news are important, but what does fake news actually look like? The truth is that fake news is often made to look as much like real news as possible.
Below are some examples of misleading posts that have been investigated and discredited by Snopes. Can you tell what types of fake news these are? If you saw these as you were scrolling through a news or social media website, would you immediately know they are fake?
Satire. This post looks like it's from mainstream news, but it was originally posted on Reddit and labeled as satire.
Clickbait/Sponsored Content. This post offers to give us all the juicy details about Disney's clientele, and draws us in even more with the story about the missing children. Did you notice the "Promoted" indicator at the bottom? That can be a big sign that the article is not a reliable source of information.
Clickbait. "This seems like a strange thing to do. Why would anyone do that?" That's the sort of thinking that leads you to clicking the link to find out more. The Snopes reviewers say that the article led them through a 41-page slideshow, and none of the slides explain why anyone would use toilet paper rolls this way.
Bogus/Hoax. Would you be able to tell that this tweet is fake if the Snopes indicator wasn't there? According to their article, #RIPDrake was the top trend for an evening in Nov. 2020, thanks to some photoshopping and bots. Check out the Snopes article to find out more about it. (No, I don't receive any revenue for promoting links.)
Recent Real-World Examples & Consequences
- How WhatsApp Leads Mobs to Murder in IndiaThis is a very compelling New York Times article that combines text and video to inform readers about how fake messages in WhatsApp led to the deaths of 24 people.
- N.C. Man Told Police He Went to D.C. Pizzeria with Gun to Investigate Conspiracy TheoryThis covers an incident at the end of 2016 where a man entered a pizza restaurant and fired his weapon due to some fake news stories he had seen online.
- ‘We Are Very Free’: How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life in XinjiangThis article shows how China has used propaganda to deny that there were human rights violations in Xinjiang.
- How a Butterfly Refuge at the Texas Border Became the Target of Far-Right LiesThe National Butterfly Center was targeted by conspiracy theorists who accused the center of covering up and/or being responsible for "human smuggling, sex trafficking and the exploitation of children." This led to media attention and harassment, and eventually conditions at the center became so uncertain that they were required to close for the safety of their employees.