Fake news is a topic that has gained increasing attention over the last several years. But what is it? And why is the topic so important?
"Fake news" can actually have several different meanings based on the context in which it is used. Let's break those down now, with the help of Dictionary.com.
- "False news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared or distributed for the purpose of generating revenue, or promoting or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc." See how involved even one aspect of the definition can be? Don't worry, we'll spend the majority of this section of the course unpacking this aspect of fake news and learning how to identify it.
- "A parody that presents current events or other news topics for humorous effect in an obviously satirical imitation of journalism." Fake news as humor or satire has been around a long time. The problem is that many people have a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction.
- "Sometimes Facetious. (used as a conversational tactic to dispute or discredit information that is perceived as hostile or unflattering)." In recent years it has become fairly common to see prominent figures respond to difficult questions by calling the person/organization who asked the question "fake news." We won't spend much time on this portion of the definition, because I think we all know that simply calling something "fake news" does not actually make it fake.