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News: Fake News

Resources exploring how news and current affairs is reported to a global audience through social media and traditional means. An explanation of misinformation and disinformation, fake news, fake images and videos, verification and debunking.

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Questioning Online News

• Fabricated content: completely false content.

• Manipulated content: content that includes distortions of genuine information or imagery — a headline, for example, that is made more sensationalist to serve as "clickbait."

 Imposter content: material involving impersonation of genuine sources — by using the branding of an established news agency, for instance.

• Misleading content: information presented in a misleading way — by, for example, presenting comment as fact.

• False context of connection: factually accurate content that is shared with false contextual information — for example, a headline that does not reflect the content of an article.

 • Satire and parody: humorous but false stores presented as if they are true. Although this isn't usually categorized as fake news, it may unintentionally fool readers. E.g The Shovel

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Resources

Fake Images

Mining magnate Andrew Forrest and his philanthropic body, the Minderoo Foundation, are negotiating with social media platforms at an "executive level" following an online scam that used his likeness to steal nearly $700,000 from a woman. 

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Fake News Examples

Fake News Bots

“If you are trying to escape a bushfire, it's fundamentally important that you're relying on accurate, trustworthy information sources like the NSW RFS or ABC Radio emergency broadcasts and their social media channels,” Ms Posetti said.

“This is when discerning between reliable information sources and rumour or deceptive content can be a matter of life and death.” Source: SBS https://www.sbs.com.au/news/false-arson-claims-spread-on-social-media-amid-australian-bushfire-crisis