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Fake News In The Media And Social Media

Decent Essays
American media consumers turn to news outlets to watch updates about events that affect them directly, such as local news and congressional developments, and to learn more about complex topics related to the world at large. At focal moments in history, for example like presidential elections, the news media play a crucial role in helping people make informed judgments about the people and issues they read about and watch in news clips. Fake news in social media is a growing problem, influenced by propaganda and being a citizen’s main source for news it has not been more pronounced than in recent years. As internet technologies improve and evolve, this type of information has become more abundant and readily available. However, as sources of fake news and other propaganda also become more complicated, American media users are realizing that they must turn a critical eye to the news stories that they read and share through social media. The term “fake news” has been coined by the media in recent years to refer to news that bears a resemblance to legitimate journalism in its format, delivery, or content but is in fact circulated either to propagate a specific agenda or to make money for the source organization by stirring up controversy with outrageous headlines. (Flood, 2017) According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of Americans surveyed believed that fake news is a problem, and 16 percent admitted that they had unknowingly shared a news story that
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