News Literacy: Types of Fake News

Media literacy educators tend not to use the term Fake News anymore since it was co-opted, popularized and misused by politicians who didn't like the way they were being represented in the media. People may misunderstand the meaning of the term and may think you're referring to all mainstream news outlets. It has become a way to disagree without proof - to doubt the accuracy of any news you don't like without reason - by just claiming it as fake. This is commonly seen on social media.

Fake news does exist though. It comes in many forms, which are all meant to deceive you into thinking you are reading real news. Use the tabs and the box to the left to learn about the different forms of fake news so that you can recognize it when you see it.

"Understanding false information helps us be less susceptible to it." - John Silva, News Literacy Project