Fake news and the types of misinformation

Nolan Cramer

nc948418@ohio.edu

 

The term "fake news" has become commonplace since it became mainstream in 2015 with then presidential candidate Donald Trump using the phrase frequently. However, an agreed upon definition of the term has been hard to come by. This is mainly because "fake news" is just part of what Claire Wardle — a researcher studying mis/disinformation — calls the "information ecosystem," which encompasses much more than just news.

What is known, is the majority of Americans believe fake news is a problem. A 2016 Pew Research Center study found that 88% of Americans said that made-up news has caused "a great deal of confusion" or "some confusion" about the facts of current events.

One way to reduce confusion is to be familiarized with the various types of misinformation which are frequently spread, primarily online.

First Draft did extensive research into misinformation and its impact, which led to a list of the seven forms of information disorder. It is important to be familiar and able to recognize each form.

Picture source: Claire Wardle/First Draft

 

While all seven forms of information disorder are important; below are a few that are most commonly associated with "fake news."

False Context

False context is when someone shares genuine content with the goal of harming an individual by including inaccurate context. 

Examples of this type of misinformation were common during the 2016 presidential election when actual reputable news articles were shared on social media with unsubstantiated written posts.

Possibly the biggest case of this was with Hillary Clinton's emails. It was not unusual to see posts regularly shared on social media that linked to a genuine article detailing the situation, but included with it would be accusations that the article proved that she had done something illegal — which she hadn't. 

This is an example of false context. Using a trustworthy information with deceitful context to harm an individual or campaign. 

Imposter Content

Imposter content is when false information is disguised as being from a legitimate source. Social media is susceptible to imposter content, because in the 21st century it is easy for anyone to create a webpage that looks similar to genuine news outlets in which to post misinformation on.

It it still common to see links to articles on platforms such as Facebook, which appear to be from genuine sources such at The New York Times and CNN, but in reality are on sites designed to imitate those sources. Often, these imposter sites will include conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims.

The danger is many people might not look at the URL of a webpage or take a close look at the website they are reading an article on and would assume the information they read is accurate.

It is important to verify information that is read online, and if in doubt to check another media outlet to corroborate the information.

Fabricated Content

Fabricated content is deceptive content which has no truth and is completely fictional. The most widespread form of fabricated content is conspiracy theories, which are misleading and not based on factual evidence.

While not as prevalent as other forms of misinformation, fabricated content still plays a huge role in the concept of "fake news," because there are multiple websites which present information as fact when in reality it is fabricated content.

One of the most well known examples of fabricated content is Alex Jones and Infowars, which has published articles, that among other things, claimed the Sandy Hook shooting was fake and a "hoax" after Jones said he did "deep research."

The issue is that fabricated content is presented as accurate information, when in reality it is not based on truth or fact.

To diminish the spread of "fake news," people must know how to identify misinformation they come across. It can be as simple as double checking information with a well-established source.

First Draft — which defined the various types of misinformation — has many resources for people wanting to learn more about how to identify "fake news" and is also currently working with multiple large social media companies to reduce the spread of misinformation. More information about First Draft can be found at firstdraftnews.org.