Before the arrival of the internet, most of our news was delivered by editor-controlled media. The kind of publishers that took their reputations very seriously, that checked and cross-checked sources and facts carefully before publishing anything at all.
Fast forward to today, and anyone can call themselves a journalist and freely publish whatever they want online. And if they burn their reputation, they can just start over with a new website and a new name. Great for freedom of speech, but problematic when you want to find information that you can trust.
In this short lesson, we will therefore take a look at how you can identify fake news.
What do we mean by ‘fake news’?
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see politicians shouting “FAKE NEWS” every time a newspaper article or a news segment appears that they do not like. Either because the news puts them in a bad light, or because the facts do not align with their worldview.
But everything you dislike is, as we know, not fake news. So, let’s try to clarify what this phenomenon actually is. For simplicity, we will divide fake news into these 3 main categories:
1. Provably false claims
Claim: “Wild llama herds wearing grass skirts seen dancing on the moon!”
Fact: The moon has no liquid water, no oxygen, and an extremely thin atmosphere, making it impossible to support any form of plant or animal life.
This example is easy to spot, but that is not always the case. AI-generated images and text have fooled even seasoned journalists.
2. Misrepresentation of facts
Claim: “Massive protests against climate hysteria in Berlin!”
Fact: 24 frozen protesters carried banners down a busy shopping street, and 11 reporters covered the event.
One common way to misrepresent the facts, is by editing images and video to the point where all context is lost.
During political campaigns, short video clips of the opposing candidate could be cropped to show them looking confused and lost, giving the impression that they don’t know what they are doing. The full, uncropped footage might show that they were interacting with someone just out of frame.
3. Satire
These stories are often misunderstood and shared by people who believe they are real news. One popular satire website you might have heard of is The Onion, which frequently publish content that amuse, infuriate, and bewilder readers, like the story below.
Why do people create fake news?
The motives vary, depending on who is behind it:
Pranksters post fake news mostly for fun, to see who bites. Using fake news generators like BreakYourOwnNews.com, they can easily create stories that trick readers.
Blogs and websites produce questionable clickbait stories to increase traffic and maximise ad revenue.
Scammers produce fake news to make their scams appear more credible. If it looks like Warren Buffet or Elon Musk recommends ‘Cryptomax Xtreme Yield’, they can lure people into investing in fraudulent financial products.
Companies can use fake news to create public interest in what they sell, influence stock prices, or attract investors. They can also run smear campaigns against competitors.
Politically motivated actors can use fake news to gather support for their own viewpoints, plans, and candidates. Defamation and slander can be used to convince people that the opposition cannot be trusted.
During times of war and conflict, governments use disinformation as a psychological weapon to break the enemy’s will to fight. Before the war begins, they weaponise fake news to spread fear and convince the adversary that defeat is inevitable. Once fighting starts, they use it to trick the enemy into believing they have already lost.
How to identify fake news
There is no definitive and easy litmus test, but here some questions you can ask which may reveal what is true or not.
Is the source credible?
A well-known publisher with a reputation to uphold is preferable to anonymous news sources. To understand why, consider this:
If the Wall Street Journal or The Guardian publishes fake news articles, they lose the reader’s trust, which in turn could lead to loss of revenue, tumbling stock prices, and potential lawsuits.
When anonymous news sources do the same, they usually get away with it. When one site or channel gets burned, they simply create another and continue with ‘business as usual’.
Who created the content, and are they being paid?
As we have just learned, trusting anonymous news sources may be a bad idea. Freelancers and influencers are often paid by clients to produce articles or videos that promote a specific agenda, and may not stick to the pure facts. While they might look independent, creators are not always transparent about who is funding their work.
Does the story seem too incredible to be true?
Headlines written in all-caps, liberal use of exclamation marks, shocking claims, and exaggerations are common in fake news, clickbait, and satire.
A headline that screams; “HSBC IS GOING BUST! GET YOUR MONEY OUT NOW!!!” catches the public’s attention quicker than “HSBC Quarterly results lower than expected. Share prices down 1,3%”.
Does the story trigger a strong emotional reaction?
Stories that make people scared and angry are commented on and shared the most on social media. A fake news article claiming that a politician supports a highly unpopular law, could spark outrage among the voters, and lead to them not being elected (or fired, if they are already in office).
Think of it like emotional hacking. By targeting what a specific group of voters cares about most, they can easily trigger a massive public outcry. For example, telling American gun owners, “He’s coming for your guns!” instantly creates panic. In the same way, telling British conservatives, “A massive tax bombshell is coming!” puts them on the warpath.
Does the story weaponise prejudices?
Fake news often targets vulnerable groups (like immigrants, religious minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, or people living in poverty). If a story goes out of its way to paint these groups in a negative light, it is likely trying to manipulate you.
When political groups do not have a real enemy, they will sometimes invent one to unite their followers. A shared enemy acts like social glue. It keeps voters loyal to a specific candidate, even if they do not agree with everything that candidate stands for. If a story is forcing you to pick a side against a specific group of people, be aware that this could be what’s happening.
Can the story be confirmed?
Before you believe or share a shocking story, see if anyone else is talking about it. If major, well-known news outlets are completely silent, or if the article does not link to any real sources, you should take it with a pinch of salt.
You can also let professional fact-checkers do the work for you. Independent organisations like Faktisk.no, EU Fact Check, and Reporters’ Lab are routinely investigating these kinds of viral stories to find the truth. If they have labelled a story as fake, please don’t share it.
Can fake news be dangerous?
In short; yes.
Dangerous to your life, your health, and to democracy.
For example, doctored videos and rumours about child abductors shared on WhatsApp have incited violent lynch mobs to attack and kill innocent people in India.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, false claims that toxic substances or illegal alcohol could cure or prevent the disease led to mass poisonings, lifelong health issues in some people, and even deaths.
In both these cases, we can see the devastating results that fake news might have. But not all results are that obvious.
In the long term, the spread of fake news erodes trust. Trust in the media, trust in the government, and trust in your fellow human beings. When those disappear (especially the latter), you’ll see societies fragment and start fighting internally. This is the old ‘divide and conquer’ playbook being used in the digital age.
If a hostile foreign power wants to soften the enemy before launching a full scale attack, fake news is a cheap and effective option. A population that cannot agree on the facts and that distrust each other, will not be able to mount an effective defence.
One prime example is the current polarisation of the United States, where Democrats and Republicans alike are convinced that the other cannot be trusted. While they remain in that state, they’re more likely to fight one another, than join forces to confront a common enemy. The war is lost before it has begun, and before a single soldier has taken up arms.
Take our quick quiz to see if you remember the basics
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Well done!
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