Fake News, Disinformation & Misinformation

You'll be Amazed!
It will Shock you!
You Won't Believe What Happens Next!
The Secret They Don't Want You to Know!
The Trick They Hate!

The headlines above are typical clickbait, always sensational.

What's Clickbait? Just what it sounds like: "content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page (Oxford Living Dictionaries)."

The problem with clickbait is that you don't always recognize it for what it is. What you get when you click on clickbait is a sensationalized misleading story. Here are some clickbait examples: 

Not all fake news is trying to fool you. Some media are satirizing the news.

Tabloids have been around in print for a very long time and you can still find them in the grocery store checkout lines. Tabloid stories are sensationalized, wildly exaggerated and unsubstantiated stories specifically designed to make money.

Tabloid television is another version of a tabloid. They are typically shows that purport to be real but are frequently scripted and have reenactments like Cops, or talk shows that are sensational like Maury. Tabloids have an online presence, as well. In fact, clickbait may well lead you to a tabloid story. Here are some tabloid examples:

From Avoid These Fake News Sites at All Costs, USNews & World Report.

These sites have created lists of fake news sources.