The term 'Fake News' has become increasingly widespread in recent years, particularly in relation to politics, news and social media. Misinformation, spin, lies and deceit have of course always existed. What makes Fake News different is a unique set of recent circumstances:
Fake News has become such a significant issue that in January 2018 the UK government announced that it was creating a brand new department specifically designed to counter it.
The BBC has suggested there are basically two kinds of Fake News:
In the links below you will find some examples of fake news, including ways to help you spot a fake news story.
This ITV news report gives some examples of fake news and how to spot it.
Back in 2016 Factcheck.org suggested that Facebook and Google were to crack down on fake news. Access the factcheck.org report which outlines how to spot fake news.
2017 saw a huge rise in fake news stories. The BBC website ran this item How fake news plagued 2017
Social media platforms are renowned for creating, publishing and sharing fake news items. Take a read of this Blog 11 easy ways to spot a fake twitter account instantly by Chris Makara an SEO with more than 15 years of digital marketing experience
The British Council have produced a very helpful How to spot fake news test.
CIGI-IPSOS Global Survey 2019 : Internet security & trust: (part 3 Social media, fake news & algorithms
The OU have produced a series of videos Social media - fake news, filter bubbles and sharing wisely!
Information literacy is more important than ever before, because we are surrounded by more information than ever before.
Are you aware that you are already using information literacy skills?
Online shopping as an example
Tips to help you with the quiz below
Practice your information literacy skills using these stories taken from the Fake news quiz.
You've heard of Fake News, you know what it is and how to spot it. Below are some examples of Fake News posts and stories to help you recognise a fake from the real thing.
Facebook post Facebook deletes fake child-cancer posts accounts
BBC News report Coronavirus: How Facebook, TikTok and other apps tackle fake claims
Report from BBC News about a trending fake news challenge BBC News #Broomchallenge
Twitter report from Wired uk This little-known company is killing fake social media accounts
The Drum Latest marketing and advertising news for fake news, including insights and opinions.
The BBC has a section on their website with the latest Fake |News information. BBC online: Fake News
1. When you open up a news article in your browser, open a second, empty tab. Use that second window to look up claims, author credentials and organizations that you come across in the article.
2. Fake news spans across all kinds of media - printed and online articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, radio shows, even still images. Be prepared to double-check everything.
3. Beware of confirmation bias. Just because you might agree with what an article is saying doesn't mean it's true.
4. "Constant Vigilance!" as Mad-Eye Moody said in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Always be ready to fact check.
5. Even the best researchers will be fooled once in a while. If you find yourself fooled by a fake news story, use your experience as a learning tool.
There are plenty of Add on extensions for Firefox - try FakerFact which checks the reliability of a website.
To quickly check if a site or a specific URL is safe, you can use Google Safe browsing web checker.
TV:
BBC news creates and shares fact checking department BBC Verify
Can you spot fake news stories just using your gut instinct? Try this short Fake News quiz
A very realistic game where you spread Fake News online - see what happens! Fake it to make it
How many followers can you get using Fake News? Bad News
Swipe left and right to decide if the story is real or fake? Factitious
Can you spot the fake stories? BBC Quiz
Create your own headlines! Break Your Own News
Citation: Ian Hislop’s Fake News: A True History, 21:00 07/10/2019, BBC4, 60 mins. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/14964FCB?bcast=130360633 (Accessed 09 Oct 2019)
You can also search the internet for "fake news libguides" or "fake news library information" for example, just make sure you check the source!
Help guide from Manchester Metropolitan University Library
Help guide from London South Bank University
Help guide from Indiana University East
Help guide from Benedictine university
Help guide from Newcastle university
Help guide from Fordham University
Academic articles and reports on Fake News from 2020 onwards
Search for Fake News resources in the library Library Catalogue Search
What are deepfakes?
Deepfakes are the manipulation of facial appearance through deep generative methods. While the act of creating fake content is not new, deepfakes leverage powerful techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate visual and audio content that can more easily deceive.
The Guardian What are deepfakes - and how can you spot them?
Disinformation has been a feature of conflicts throughout history. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen a significant increase in the creation and distribution of disinformation, ‘fake news’ and other misleading sources.
It should also be noted that according to Full Fact, disinformation is being used on both sides of the conflict. It is important to be conscious of this when considering how best to minimise the risks of spreading information.
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Access the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services: Why do people share fake news? Associations between the dark side of social media use and fake news sharing behaviour
