Guides: Fake News and Disinformation: What is Fake News?

Fake News vs Disinformation vs Misinformation

We live in a digital age where information is at our fingertips 24/7, and the internet offers a level of anonymity that makes it easy to spread false news and information, whether accidentally or deliberately.

Fake news refers to distorted and sometimes falsified reports with the intention to mislead. The concept originally referred specifically to political reports, but has now expanded to generally mean intentionally inaccurate information.

! Note !: Journalists can report on a story that naturally develops; sometimes in the process the information changes. That is not fake news. A journalistic story has the intention of providing the most accurate information available at that time. Fake News intends to mislead.

Terms as defined by the Oxford Learner's Dictionary:

Fake news - false reports of events, written and read on websites
Disinformation - false information that is given deliberately
Misinformation - the act of giving wrong information about something

Other related terms:

Deepfake - a video of a person in which their appearance has been digitally altered so that they look like somebody else
Propaganda - ideas or statements that may be false or present only one side of an argument that are used in order to gain support for a political leader, party, etc.
Clickbait - material put on the internet in order to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page

7 Types of Mis- and Disinformation infographic

Wardle, Claire. "Understanding information disorder." First Draft News, 22 Sept 2020, https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/understanding-information-disorder/

7 Types of Mis- and Disinformation:

From lowest to highest:

Satire or parody
No intention to cause harm but has potential to fool.
False connection
When headlines, visuals, or captions don't support the content.
Misleading content
Misleading use of information to frame an issue or individual.
False context
When genuine content is shared with false contextual information.
Imposter content
When genuine sources are impersonated.
Manipulated content
When genuine information or imagery is manipulated to deceive.
Fabricated content
New content that is 100% false, made to deceive and do harm.

Learn more

Fake News by Melissa Zimdars (Editor); Kembrew Mcleod (Editor)
Call Number: PN4888 .F35 F35 2020
ISBN: 9780262538367
Publication Date: 2020-02-18
What is fake news? Is it an item on Breitbart, an article in The Onion, an outright falsehood disseminated via Russian bot, or a catchphrase used by a politician to discredit a story he doesn't like? This book examines the real fake news- the constant flow of purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or totally fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news. Rather than viewing fake news through a single lens, the book maps the various kinds of misinformation through several different disciplinary perspectives, taking into account the overlapping contexts of politics, technology, and journalism. The contributors consider topics including fake news as "disorganized" propaganda; folkloric falsehood in the "Pizzagate" conspiracy; native advertising as counterfeit news; the limitations of regulatory reform and technological solutionism; Reddit's enabling of fake news; the psychological mechanisms by which people make sense of information; and the evolution of fake news in America. A section on media hoaxes and satire features an oral history of and an interview with prankster-activists the Yes Men, famous for parodies that reveal hidden truths. Finally, contributors consider possible solutions to the complex problem of fake news-ways to mitigate its spread, to teach students to find factually accurate information, and to go beyond fact-checking.
The Psychology of Fake News by Rainer Greifeneder (Editor); Mariela Jaffe (Editor); Eryn Newman (Editor); Norbert Schwarz (Editor)
ISBN: 9781000179033
Publication Date: 2020-08-13
This volume examines the phenomenon of fake news by bringing together leading experts from different fields within psychology and related areas, and explores what has become a prominent feature of public discourse since the first Brexit referendum and the 2016 US election campaign. Dealing with misinformation is important in many areas of daily life, including politics, the marketplace, health communication, journalism, education, and science. In a general climate where facts and misinformation blur, and are intentionally blurred, this book asks what determines whether people accept and share (mis)information, and what can be done to counter misinformation? All three of these aspects need to be understood in the context of online social networks, which have fundamentally changed the way information is produced, consumed, and transmitted. The contributions within this volume summarize the most up-to-date empirical findings, theories, and applications and discuss cutting-edge ideas and future directions of interventions to counter fake news. Also providing guidance on how to handle misinformation in an age of "alternative facts", this is a fascinating and vital reading for students and academics in psychology, communication, and political science and for professionals including policy makers and journalists.
Disinformation and Fake News by Shashi Jayakumar (Editor); Benjamin Ang (Editor); Nur Diyanah Anwar (Editor)
ISBN: 9789811558757
Publication Date: 2020-11-01
This book is a collection of chapters penned by practitioners from around the world on the impact that disinformation and fake news has had in both the online and social sphere. While much has been said about individual disinformation campaigns in specific countries, this book offers a panoramic view of how these campaigns are conducted, who they target, and how they are spread. By bringing together research on specific countries and international data mined from questionnaires and online studies, the understanding of the term 'fake news' is greatly expanded and the issues we face are brought to light. The book includes contributions by experts such as Jean-Baptiste Vilmer (Macron Leaks), and includes case studies from Asia, such as Singapore and Myanmar, written in an accessible manner for the general interested reader, practitioners and policymakers in the field.
Beyond Fake News by Justin P. McBrayer
Call Number: PN4888 .F35 M334 2021
ISBN: 9780367483081
Publication Date: 2020-10-01
The world is swimming in misinformation. Conflicting messages bombard us every day with news on everything from politics and world events to investments and alternative health. The daily paper, nightly news, websites, and social media each compete for our attention and each often insist on a different version of the facts. Inevitably, we have questions: Who is telling the truth? How would we know? How did we get here? What can we do? Beyond Fake News answers these and other queries. It offers a technological and market-based explanation for how our informational environment became so polluted. It shows how purveyors of news often have incentives to mislead us, and how consumers of information often have incentives to be misled. And it chronicles how, as technology improves and the regulatory burdens drop, our information-scape becomes ever more littered with misinformation. Beyond Fake News argues that even when we really want the truth, our minds are built in such a way so as to be incapable of grasping many facts, and blind spots mar our view of the world. But we can do better, both as individuals and as a society. As individuals, we can improve the accuracy of our understanding of the world by knowing who to trust and recognizing our limitations. And as a society, we can take important steps to reduce the quantity and effects of misinformation.

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