Fake Media In The Media

Everyday, billions of people read websites, magazines, newspapers, or watch television segments so they are informed on what is happening in the world. The news is something that so many people rely on and check constantly. What people aren’t aware of however, is that so much of what they are being told is a lie. False news is a growing and constant issue in today’s society. Fake news spreads rapidly, changing people's views on the world constantly. However, putting an end to this media trend has proved to be a struggle.

Fake new became a popular topic in news regarding politically aligned news channels and outlets. For example, YourNewsWire is an online news outlet based in Los Angeles. Based on this website, Hillary Clinton’s victory in the popular vote was due to voter fraud of 25 million votes (Kosoff). YourNewsWire used evidence of an investigation the NPR, National Public Radio, conducted. Though the article’s claim of voter fraud seemed compelling, as evidence was to support the argument was supple. Yet the evidence was incorrectly used. The NPR was involved in this investigation of voter fraud, but only published the information as Pew Research Center conducted the analysis of credibility. Another piece of falsified data is that the investigation was not conducted as a means to discredit Hillary Clinton’s victory in the popular vote, as the investigation was completed in 2012, prior to Clinton and Trump’s campaign for office. This is only one example of skewed stories and biased articles. The creators of YourNewsWire, Sean Adl-tabatabai and husband, Sinclair Treadway, were politically aligned with Bernie Sanders for the 2016 election (Baum). The reputation that YourNewsWire has created for itself has plummeted. Google no longer supports this website with ad-sponsored money, and other accredited websites, such as Snopes, investigate the validity of news articles such as these and discredit their findings

For example, Donald Trump proudly stated that “any negative polls are fake news,” and constantly refers to mainstream media outlets as “fake news media.” To compound the effect, according to MSNBC, a leading Republican Congressman, Lamar Smith, advised Americans to get their news directly from the President because “it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth.” The reason why undermining credibility of news media is so scary is that it reduces their ability to hold politicians accountable. With public’s trust in cable news plummeting (all-time low of 32% according to Gallup), more and more individuals are looking for alternative sources online, which makes them more susceptible to fake news, and so the vicious cycle

A recent study conducted at Stanford found out that 82 percent of students cannot tell the difference between fake and real news (Crook). This is a major problem because it can affect people’s careers and even sway election results. Fake news occurs when hoax websites report false news. False news stories are reported every day and are being spread all over the internet. This is a huge dilemma in today’s world because “62 percent of the U.S. adults get their majority of news from social media …” (Crook). This type of news spreads so easily because people share outrageous stories without actually reading the story to realize it is false. Former president

In the midst of the president election an issue rose that has been overlooked by most in the United States over the last few years. Fake news, false information that pretends to be real and is deliberately published in order to misinform the audience. They aim to mislead the audience in order to get some kind of political or financial gain. Something that for some people might feel like a new issue, has been a big problem all over the world, and as the problem is finally starting to come up to light here in the United States, there is a lot that needs to be done in order to solve it. There are many places where fake news are spread to readers, but some of the most used ones are social media websites in general. Places like Facebook, Twitter,

Media outlets, specifically referring to televised news station, should avoid having a bias in order to stay neutral and deliver factual news to their audience. Due to the large amount of research done, we are presented with more than enough information regarding specific news outlets, such as CNN or Fox News, and the amount of bias that is presented in their broadcasts. One of the largest issues caused by bias in the media is fake news and or the spread of false stories in events such as the 2016 US presidential election, which ultimately raised many concerns and resulted in large amounts of negative circulation through social media.

of people believe that the media is essential to our democracy (Knight Foundation); the vast communication network keeps audiences connected and aware of current events or affairs. However, within the past couple of years, some people have perceived the media to be untrustworthy and problematic due to the rise of fake news. Consequently, “nearly two thirds of Americans say the mainstream press is full of fake news, a sentiment that is held by

The purpose of this article, called “Technology is The Cause of ‘Fake News’ – But It’s The Solution Too” written by Seth Freeman, was written to educate the public on how fake news is getting spread. Freeman focuses his main attention on the people that were behind screens and that were quiet and virtually invisible. Throughout Freeman’s piece of writing he uses several examples for his method. One example, Freeman refers to a former Soviet state of Georgia and from Macedonia, where Freeman states that a teenagers discovered that they could make a lot of money by publicizing nonsense information, which could not be found anywhere else, in favor of one candidate. He also states that in Bloomberg, hackers were able to skew interests in and support

These news stories not only shape society’s world view, but they can hinder or harm its perceptions if people believe them. In an article for PBS Newshour, Nsikan Akpan says, “Fake news, once confined to satire or the fringe bowels of the internet, has quickly become a contender for the most influential phrase of the year. Following Donald Trump’s surprise election, story after story has questioned the role that fake news played in swaying voters.…” (Akpan, 2016). The U.S. is currently embroiled in scandal after scandal involving not only the election, but in stories that arose from fake news sites. These sites though, are impossible to ignore because they are invading every pore of media they can find, and it takes a very discerning mind to navigate this web of media, complete with the

As a result of the heavy social media usage among the upcoming generation combined with the fact that large quantities of people gather their information from these social media sites, it is imperative that the issue of fake news is addressed. The social media platform is the ideal breeding grounds for fake news since information can be spread with the click of a button with little to no fact checking. The reader must remember that fake news exists solely to provoke a response and if the material seems outlandish or impractical, then it probably is. One way to address the growing problem is to question what we read. We should get in the habit of comparing the information provided to other sources to see if the facts line up. Also, Melissa Zimdars offers solid advice by assessing the domain. Information from washigntonpost.com.co, NBCnews.com.co. ABCnews.com.co, UnderGroundNewsReport.com, nationalreport.net, and many others are fake news. Lastly, becoming aware with the more common fake news sites is another way to combat spreading of fake news. By doing so, one can start reporting the fake news to the social media administrator and blocking further information from those sites. If we can all make an effort to question the sources and information we read then we can take the

Fake news has changed the world in a bad way. “For many, Horner's claim signals an alarming turn into uncharted political territory. But fake news is part of American history. In fact, it goes back to the founding of the republic.” (Parkinson) A man named Horner has been making fake news because he thought it is what he was the one who let Trump win the election. “Horner, 38, writes fake news stories. Some are silly, some are mean, but none is factual. The problem is, people believe them. Horner wrote many fake stories during the 2016 presidential election between Trump and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. The stories were widely circulated and believed to be true by many people. Horner thinks his fake news helped Trump win votes.” (Parkinson)

Most popular news outlets use propaganda to persuade the public into supporting their political cause. Over the years more and more biased news outlets have been created to compete with people of the opposite political spectrum. In today's age it’s hard to find an unbiased news source, the result is constant political tension and power struggles between the left and right. Liberal and Conservative media use propaganda to sway and manipulate the general public to fit their political agenda.

In today’s ever-changing world the news media no longer acts as before. The days in which the media reported the “actual facts”, are gone. Instead, media content is shaped by economics and politics. Many people have become lazy, in that, most do not conduct their own research and rely too much on the media. This results in people becoming too trusting of the media. Typically, reporters and networks put their own “spin” on stories. For example, Fox news is known to lean more towards a republican base while CNN and MSNBC

Many people in today's society have trouble separating real news from fake news. Fake news is propaganda that deliberately spreads false information to mislead the public. The purpose of fake news is to catch the audience 's attention. The fake news article "Obama Sinks Family Savings into Developing Presidental Table Top Game" discusses how former President Obama has been spending a great amount of money on his new presidential game. This article included no author and was posted on the popular satirical website The Onion. Overall, this article would attract the audience of many people who follow political leaders. The article does partially achieve its purpose as a piece of fake news because it captures the audience's attention but lacks the factual evidence to support its claim.

The recent surge in popularity of social media comes with a price: fake news. Fake news is defined as news or media that has been altered or modified. Journalists have begun to analyze why that fake news exists and why it continues exist. Two authors, Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin D. Williamson, both have written articles about fake news. Eoin O’Carroll’s article “How Information Overload Helps Spread Fake News,” discusses how the media has bombarded us with news stories, blurring the distinct lines between real and fake news. Kevin D. Williamson, a journalist for the National Review, writes in his article “‘Fake News, Media and Voters: Shared Reality Must Be Acknowledged” that the news is not fake; it just does not align with one’s personal beliefs. Both authors successfully appeal to their audiences’ emotions and feelings, but O’Carroll is more likely to succeed than Williamson in persuading his audience to try and combat fake news because the writer presents himself as someone the intended readers will more readily identify with and offers evidence that his readers will find more compelling.