8.1: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News- How to Spot Them

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Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online is challenging even for experts. In this section you'll learn about terms including and related to "fake news" and skills to avoid both reading and sharing it.

These are important information evaluation skills that you'll use for the rest of your life. The more aware you are of what false information is and how it spreads, the better you will be at avoiding it yourself - and helping your friends and family do the same.

Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news: What's the difference?

Misinformation vs. Disinformation vs. Fake News
Term	Definition	Source
misinformation	“false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead”	Dictionary.com(opens in new window)
disinformation	"deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda”	Dictionary.com(opens in new window)
fake news	"purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or totally fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news"	Fake news: understanding media and misinformation in the digital age(opens in new window) (back cover)
deepfake	"an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said"	Merriam-Webster.com(opens in new window)

Why care about fake news?

Fake news is effective. Our brains can easily make us believe that fake news is real news through something called "confirmation bias." You learned a bit about confirmation bias in last week's reading. Watch this video by Above The Noise (5m20s) to learn more.

What makes a news story fake?

1. It can't be verified

A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its sources. If the article does have links, they may not lead to articles outside of the site's domain or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic.

2. Fake news appeals to emotion

Fake news plays on the reader's feelings - it makes the reader angry or happy or scared. By appealing to emotions, the authors are hoping to prevent the reader from fact-checking.

3. Authors usually aren't experts

Authors are unidentifiable or lack credentials, are paid to invoke an action and direct traffic to the story, usually through sensational or off-topic claims, or use inflammatory language.

4. It can't be found anywhere else

The main idea of the fake news article is not reported by any other news outlets. Credible information is often reported on and verified by multiple sources.

5. Fake news comes from fake sites

Did your article come from abcnews.com.co? Or mercola.com? Realnewsrightnow.com? These and a host of other URLs are fake news sites.