Page 27 - Mousumi

Weaver: Special Edition dedicated to ASPAM

FAKE NEWS AND

INNOVATIVE WAYS TO

CURB IT

By Sreya Sreejesh, ASPAM

Fake news is a term to mean different things to different people. Sometimes this
news may be publicity that is intentionally designed to mislead the people. In
recent years, fake news stories have spread via social media, because they are so
easily and quickly shared online. Fake news, or fabricated content presented as real
news, has got lot of interest in this world. Although a new phenomenon, the
global nature of the web-based information environment allows all sorts of
misinformation to make an international impact.

Back in the old days, when people got Some of which are actually fake
their news mainly from papers, (disinformation), others down to
magazines, radio and television, it was human error or biases. Either way
generally easy to figure out when they all have a very loose connection
someone was pulling your leg. with the truth and basically sit on a
Nowadays many fake news continuum of intent to deceive.
intentionally tries to pass themselves
off as real, either by never disclosing 1) Satire or Parody – sites such as the
their nature or hiding within their Daily Mash publish fake news stories
website. Still others are just marketing as humorous attempts to satirize the
false and sensationalstories to drive media, but have the potential to fool
traffic to their site and rake in ad when shared out of context.
revenue, something easy to do when
social media allows the rapid spread 2) Misleading news that’s sort of true
of misinformation. but used in the wrong context –
selectively chosen real facts that are
There are five categories collectively reported to gain headlines, but tend to
referred to as fake news. be a misinterpretation of scientific
research.

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