The Pros And Cons Of Fake News

Fake news comes from countless places and spreads at an alarmingly fast rate. Usually, false stories start as a hoax on a small scale website, blog, or even social media post. A journalist from a slightly bigger news

In a world plagued by natural disaster, assassinations, and terrorism, citizens of the world tend to exaggerate or create ideas to explain events without clear answers. As those ideas are spread, conspiracy theories are born. They are used to explain reality, but why would we need to explain reality when there are experts to decode it for us? Like with the Watergate scandal, the government is not always trustworthy and the populace refuses to believe they are not lying until certified proof is presented. By not being in full control, we as humans begin to question the authenticity of everything around us. People believe in conspiracy theories because of their psychology. Though the likelihood of believing certain theories changes from person to person, the overall cause is similar; feeling as though you lack control of your life means you are more susceptible to believing in conspiracy theories.

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

In New Hampshire in 2016, President Trump said in regards to the news media that "They're scum. They're horrible people. They are so illegitimate.” Having been quoted multiple times referring to the journalists and reporters in a similarly negative manner, President Trump apparently has diminished the nation’s trust in the press. The Trump administration is also notorious for barring certain news organizations, from access to events. In response to blocking prominent news organizations, including CNN and The New York Times, from attending a question and answer session with Press Secretary Sean Spicer, NPR wrote that “the relationship between the Trump administration and the news media has taken another step backwards.” By excluding typically adversary news organizations and including typically supportive news organizations, some argue that the Trump administration is inhibiting freedom of the press and prohibiting the truthful spread of information. On the other hand, it can be argued that adversary news organizations may distort events and quotes, causing unnecessary confusion and misguided

One example is when they put out the article "Charles Foster Kane Defeated, Fraud At Polls". From that headline you would believe that he was beaten by some illegal purpose, but it was just a headline getting people to read the article and the enjoyment of

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

To anyone looking to avoid fake news, Leonard Pitts says to read a newspaper. Pitts points out that there is a difference in satire and fake news such an SNL skit being made to poke fun at news sources being compared to a story about Donald Trump being assassinated. The New York Time's recent case study explains that fake news arises due to people not bothering to fact check the articles they share online. Fake News has become popular in conservative communities and in those looking to confirm that they are the true victims. The alt-right movement and its supporters have lead us into a spiral of misinformation and fake reality.

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

Fake news refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic

News writing is made to inform others with the truth. However, humans are naturally a greedy species. We always want more; this goes with power and wealth. As a result, the art of journalism can sometimes be tarnished to make a quick profit. Eye opening headlines with false or irrelevant information are becoming more common. Some writers even disobey writing ethics by unfactual and biased stories, otherwise known as “fake news”. There are other examples but in the end, viewership is needed so writers spice up their articles in any way, shape or form to get their money. Some are written well enough to look like legitimate news articles; many people can easily be fooled and believe whatever they read. That is why it is important to understand the dilemma of the prevalence of “fake news” today. People should be cautious and hesitant, and try to understand the full concept or picture when it comes to reading news

In addition, news companies deceive the public by

Fake news is taking a hold much of the media today; it creates tension between readers over facts that may not be entirely true. It seems that the rise of fake news became more prevalent during this last elections people confused what was true and what was not. When I initially read the article More People are Arrested for Simple Marijuana Possession than All Violent Crimes Combined I was shocked by the given statistics. The articles very first paragraph states that more than 137,000 people are incarcerated for a petty marijuana charge, far exceeding the amount of individuals in jail for violent crimes. As I continued to read, the writer of the article begins to go into a more emotional position of their writing and

But what is “fake news”? With roots in yellow journalism and circular reporting, fake news is the deliberate reporting of false information in a light that will make it seem legitimate. As reporter Elle Hunt writes for The Guardian, fake news is “completely made up, manipulated to resemble credible journalism and attract maximum attention and, with it, advertising revenue.” Hunt also goes on to explain that in some form, popular satirical news sites such as The Onion and Clickhole, also resemble fake news in a way. Hunt’s reasoning for this is that, although to many it may be clear that these sites publish news satire, some consumers may “easily [take it] at face value, especially if they touch on current events or politics and if they appear free of context on social media.” Additionally, Hunt adds that sites like The Onion actually are “often taken at face value.” But is this really an

Not everything in the news and told to the public is true. Especially in this modern age and time where anyone can put anything on the internet. There are many things that are told that is just false information that could easily be spotted and outed. To prevent being fooled by fake information, conduct research, check the Uniform Resource Locator, and check for reliability & credibility. One of the first steps in being aware of fake information is to see where they come from and their sources. Check the sources and sites from where they come from, not all are reliable. Some sites are clickbait and don’t use any real information but instead use fake information to bait people into clicking on the ad so they can get revenue. Another way to see and find if some site have

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.