How Americans Can Help Stop Fake News and Misinformation

Introduction to Fake News

Yellow journalism, or fake news, has been prevalent in our society and past societies for many years. Fake news can be depicted as a method of spreading false information through media as a way to influence political views in our society. Various mediums—such as television, social media, news articles, radio, etc.—promote fake news through propaganda or other methods, aiming to re-evaluate the truth and confuse people into believing something that isn’t true. But the question is, why?

The Motivation Behind Fake News

According to Research Guides (2023), there are several reasons why fake news is promoted in our society. Making or receiving money is a vital necessity in human nature. Many people love the idea of money and would do anything to achieve it. But how exactly does money factor into advocating fake news? The reason is that many publishers earn money for publishing fake news. Each time these people publish fake news on social media, news articles, etc., they earn money. Another reason is satirists who enjoy the idea of entertaining or accentuating a point to society. Although these are just a few reasons portraying the logic behind why fake news is published in our society, there are many more.

Fake News in Politics

In the 2016 presidential election, it was no surprise that fake news was used to confuse or influence society. According to an analysis completed by BuzzFeed News (Silverman, 2016), fake stories concerning the election received more recognition and acknowledgment than real stories or arguments. This shows that false stories about the presidential election could have influenced the overall perspective of many people within our society. Fake news can also pose a threat to the government. As one knows, fake news is used to change the opinions of others or simply as a joke. There are many people in our society who are gullible enough to believe in fake news—not just them, but even the most intelligent as well. Fake news targets to confuse people, and many times, it can be quite difficult for some readers to identify whether they are reading fake news or not. For this reason, our government is threatened. Publishers of fake news intend to change society's perspectives about the government, leaving people confused about whether they should believe those stories or not.

Types of Fake News

Although it is widely believed across America that fake news is the same throughout, according to Pratt Library (2023), there are actually several types of fake news. The most common ones, however, are deliberate misinformation and false headlines. Deliberate misinformation is a type of fake news shared on social media or other mediums, targeting people who will easily believe it. Whereas false headlines occur when the headline of an article may be true, but it has no correspondence with the actual article. This type of fake news is used as “bait” and lures readers into consuming false information. Additionally, some fake news stories are designed to discredit opponents or spread fear, further complicating the media landscape.

Conclusion

Fake news in America is much more common than many may think. Although the use of fake news in many television programs or news articles isn’t new, people need to begin taking precautions in believing the stories they see. The intentions of those who publish fake news are to influence those in our society. Although many are published as a joke, people shouldn’t fall for the trap of those who want to change the overall perspective of our government or society. Increasing media literacy and critical thinking skills among the public can help mitigate the spread and impact of fake news.

References:

• Research Guides. (2023). How Americans Can Help Stop Fake News and Misinformation. Retrieved from [Research Guides URL]
• Silverman, C. (2016). This Analysis Shows How Viral Fake Election News Stories Outperformed Real News On Facebook. BuzzFeed News. Retrieved from [BuzzFeed News URL]
• Pratt Library. (2023). Types of Fake News. Retrieved from [Pratt Library URL]