Fake News or just Clickbait

Fallon Howard

Fallon.j.howard13@gmail.com

 

News is all around us, whether it comes from a newspaper, television, online media sources, or from social media. A lot of people have easily mistaken real news for something that is meant for just clickbait. Clickbait is content whose purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link or a particular webpage. Often, when looking at websites, you are unsure if what you are clicking on is either correct or, worse, a scam. 

This idea displayed in the article How Clickbait Fueled a Generation of Fake News  mentions, "When these clickbait stories get their headlines seem to make more of an impact than their content does. Clickbait articles have, in the past, suggested things like celebrity deaths, heart-warming stories of human compassion, and other 'you'll have to see it to believe it' headlines that are simply not true. This type of content strategy is known as like-farming. It's generally used by marketers and strategists as a way of generating traffic in order to sell something." This quote accurately describes what I mean by misleading headlines and its effects on how viewers perceive the information.   

 

Picture Source: https://cariadmarketing.com/clickbait-what-is-it/

 

Have you ever had a hard time knowing when to believe a headline and when to not? It can be tricky, but here are some tips found in this article How to Spot Fake News.

The reader needs to pay attention to the small aspects because something as little as the date of the article can be a red flag when trusting the source. Learning these tips early on can help mold and shape your view on where you get your news from and which sources to trust. The reader needs to pay attention to the small aspects because something as little as the date of the article can be a red flag when trusting the source. 

Overall, fake news is everywhere; even just listening to someone saying "I heard" is even misleading. Taking the time to check the facts and doing your own research will avoid having to decipher between what's real news and what's fake news. Take accountability as a journalist, to present the facts and report on real news because there are citizens who look up to journalists as their primary source. After all, we make the news, and it's our job to be a reliable source for others.