Fake news is information that is made up or false. Fake news stories are stories with facts that cannot be verified, often have no citations, and have an intention other than to inform. Sometimes fake news stories are created to mislead people, and other times they are created to entertain.
Fake news meant to mislead people is known as disinformation. The purpose of disinformation is to influence people's thoughts and actions.
Satirical news, on the other hand, is an example of fake news meant to entertain. Satirical news often criticizes or makes fun of people's choices and behaviors related to politics and current events. Some famous satirical news sites include:
If you are not sure whether or not an article or website contains fake news or real news, you can fact check it.
To fact check an article means to make sure the facts that are presented are accurate. Credible sources typically have information that is believed to be correct at the time it is reported, but if you are unsure if something is true or not, it is best to fact check.
Below are tips for fact checking:
1. Find other credible sources that are reporting the same facts. Professional newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets should be reporting the same information. To find credible sources, please see the Finding Credible Sources page of this libguide.
2. Do some research on the author of the article. Is it a real person? Have they published other articles that you are confident contain facts? Do they work for a reputable news outlet?
3. Use a fact-checking website. There are several fact-checking websites available online. Here are links to some popular sites: