Fake news

Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news is also known as prototype news, junk news, pseudo-news, alternative facts or hoax news.^[1][2]

It is a form of news made up of misinformation, hoaxes or outright lies spread through large news media (print and broadcast) or online social media.^[3]

In many cases, fake news is spread on purpose.^[4] The term was used and made popular by American President Donald Trump.^[5]

Although false news has always been spread throughout history, the term "fake news" was first used in the 1890s when sensational reports in newspapers were common in the U.S.A.^[6][7]

One reason fake news is more common today is that various websites pay for contributions according to the number of views. It stands to reason that a sensational claim will get more views than a correct but boring statement. Thus contributors are paid more for invented controversy than true non-sensational facts. This amounts to a premium payment for lies over truth.

1. ↑ Bartolotta, Devin (9 December 2016), "Hillary Clinton warns about hoax news on social media", WJZ-TV, retrieved 11 December 2016
2. ↑ Wemple, Erik (8 December 2016), "Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg says people don't want 'hoax' news. Really?", The Washington Post, retrieved 11 December 2016
3. ↑ Tufekci, Zeynep (January 16, 2018). "It's the (Democracy-Poisoning) Golden Age of Free Speech". Wired.
4. ↑ Leonhardt, David; Thompson, Stuart A. (June 23, 2017). "Trump's Lies". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
5. ↑ Murphy, Jennifer. "Library Guides: Evaluating Information: Fake news in the 2016 US Elections". libraryguides.vu.edu.au. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
6. ↑ "The real story of 'fake news': The term seems to have emerged around the end of the 19th century". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
7. ↑ Soll, Jacob (December 18, 2016). "The long and brutal history of fake news". Politico Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2019.