Fake news is an umbrella term to define a broader array of information disorders, ranging from:
- Disinformation (information that is false and created with the intention to harm people and societies),
- Misinformation (information that is misleading or false, but the people who share it do not realize this and do not mean harm),
- Honest journalistic mistakes.
Through their effects, fake news and information disorders are a threat to democracy and to efficient governance. Fake news can influence opinions, can alter the organic processes of public opinion formation, and ultimately, can shape behaviours, from voting, to taking a stance on different public issues.
Ultimately, fake news promotes toxic narratives, spreads doubt and confusion, and increases social polarisation, affecting democratic decision-making. Fake news can be a tool for populism, antisemitism, xenophobia and other extreme political views. Nevertheless, one of the response measures is inoculating the audience against this phenomenon, by encouraging critical thinking, fact-checking, and by developing media literacy interventions.
The work needed to effectively filter information in our media-saturated environment takes time and skill. A study showed that the more content we consume, the more our ability to make decisions about its veracity becomes impaired.
With 80% of Europeans now regularly going online, it is vital for the sustainable and effective functioning of democracy for citizens to be able to curate their media diets with a healthy critical eye. The infographic created by ‘Beyond Fake News’ identifies the 10 types of potentially misleading news. It was created to be used in class with real-world examples to spark classroom debate and reflection on the ways that media is constructed.
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