You’ve heard it, you’ve hashtagged it, but have you looked it up? The term “fake news” has made headlines worldwide as it became a sort-of catchphrase regarding the last presidential election in the United States. Funny thing is fake news isn’t imaginary, the concept has been around for ages. But what is it, really? Seriously, have you asked a search engine, “What is fake news?” Get into the habit of doing that!
It’s a hoax, an urban legend, it’s a bold-faced lie dressed up to look like factual truth. It can be about a serious world news topic, a political campaign, a celebrity’s personal life, or about nothing you’ve ever heard about. Fake news is falsified information purposefully presented as true, whether the entire story is untrue or only parts of it are untrue. And people believe it because, despite the fact that we as an online-dependent society know that literally anyone can post anything they want online with no respect for truth, we’re quick to share and slow to investigate. It’s okay to have trust issues with what you read on the internet, hear on the radio, or in regards something your best friend told you. Any search engine can help you decide whether that tasty tidbit of gossip is fact or fiction.
Fake news does not encompass a left- or right-leaning stance, that’s the “spin” or point of view or opinion. If a news story has a spin, that should determine the type of facts that support 
the story, but everything presented should still be true and even more it should be presented as an opinion or an “op-ed” . For example, a story about cilantro could be presented as how wonderful the flavour is, or how awful it tastes. There are people in this world who think it tastes great, and others who think it tastes awful, but both spins on cilantro are still true. And it’s important that you, as a purveyor of any news, dutifully research both sides so that you have the whole story and can form your own, educated opinion. Just because your grandma loves cilantro and you don’t doesn’t mean the two of you can’t have a fun conversation about it (guys, don’t fight with grandma about cilantro).
Satire is also not fake news, but satire can be tricky to identify as a joke if you get seduced by the outrageousness of the content. It should be obvious, but sometimes fact is stranger than fiction so it’s possible to get confused. Fact-check before you share by looking at the source, for starters. Even if it’s a CBC article, it could be a CBC Comedy article, and that title won’t be difficult to find on the page you’re looking at.
What’s the harm in fake news? Reputable sources have been duped by it and passed the information on. People online with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of followers can spread fake news with the click of a button – or even a slip of a finger. Do you know how easy it is to accidentally touch the shareable icon on a touch screen? So easy! Creators of fake news can also imitate credible sources in format, colours, even logos. Look carefully! We’re in a time when respectable news outlets have to publish editorial notes explaining why they were “late” on updating a story – and it’s usually because they were fact-checking to make sure that what they reported was completely true. Social media outlets are reportedly taking steps to alert readers to potential fake news, and there are lists of falsified news sources available all over the place, but the best filter is your own research.
Heed this: If someone you trust, like your grandma or your favourite newspaper, declares something to be fake news, it’s okay (encouraged!) to do your own research on the subject. Mistakes happen!
We’ll have tips to help you navigate your way through fake news coming at a later date in this series, but there’s still more to the story to read before we get there. Stay tuned!
