User:Zjm648003854/Fake news websites in the United States

Fake News

Fake news can be defined as fabricated information spread through social media and other news media (Shu et al., 2017). Fake social media websites do not follow processes and editorial norms set to ensure information is credible and accurate. Fake news entails disinformation and misinformation. There are different types of false information, which include parody, propaganda, and clickbait. Fake news has resulted in the manipulation of vulnerable institutions, societies, and even individuals. Politicians are also using fake news websites to spread their ideologies and weaken their opponents. By analyzing the facts on a website, it is possible to differentiate between fake and authentic news. Due to the many harms that social media use has, it is crucial to identify those websites that spread false news.

History

Fake news began during the World War 1 period. Propaganda was spread by journalists concerning the issues in the war (Shu et al., 2017). Fake news was mostly used by Nazi advertising technologies to ensure the creation of an anti-Semitic enthusiasm adequately. During the 1800s the presence of racist sentiment actions resulted in the publication of fabricated stories. The stories were generally concerned with the supposed delinquencies and paucities among Africa Americans. William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer in 1890s participated in the publication of the first rival newspaper. The newspaper was given the name "yellow journalism". It led to transpire of war in 1898 which was defined as the Spanish-American war. Later on, "yellow journalism" was categorized as less common after the citizens realized that the news present in it was false. After some years, the innovation of web-based news led to bringing back of "yellow journalism" in full force. Fake news was also evident in 1920 with the growth of corporate public relations. In the 20th century, broadcast and print media dominance also promoted fake news (Cortada & Aspray, 2019). Technology advancement has increased social media use in information. Many user’s social media facilitates the fast spread of fake news.

Harms caused by fake news

Fake news harms the wellbeing of individuals giving false information on health. There have been misleading information on serious disease cure. Some of the treatment options recommended may further harm an individual using it. Fake news gives false information to students. When researching their assignment, students can get incorrect information resulting in low grades. Racism and stereotypes are spread by fake news. Fake news hinders democracy, especially during elections (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). Existence of fake news impacts citizens while complaining about their wellbeing. In the instances of being devalued by their leaders' false news do not permit them a chance to report such incidences. Fake news also leads to chaos among the members of society. Some information may favour some groups in the community leading to conflicts among members.

Fake news acts as barriers to economic growth and development. This is because the necessary information that may be required by the companies for active development may not be recognizable. People are given false information to make them vote for a particular candidate. Incorrect information enhances violence and bullying. False information targeted to an institution or an individual may result in real-life impacts from the public. Threats, judgment, and insults are passed even to innocent individuals. Fake news also in existence lowers students’ self-esteem making them fail in their lives due to failure in most essential exams.

Examples of Fake News Websites

·    Joseph Mercola Osteopathy doctor has been identified to spread fake news in his blog. He gives dangerous and misleading medical advice.

·    The satirical news site has been categorized as a fake news site which primarily focuses on spreading incorrect information to citizens. The website does not provide any truthful information which can fail those who follow is news.

·    70news a biased site in 2016 mislead the public by redirecting users to a WordPress page. The blog indicated that Donald Trump had won the Electoral College and popular vote.

·    The Onion is an American news site mostly on parody. The news website has been accused of fake news. The founder, they post satirical and not fake news.

·    NYTimes try to mislead people by choosing a name close to that of the New York Times. This misleads many users.

·    Abcnews.com.co is a fake news website. The cite uses a logo almost similar to that of ABC News. In 2016, the ABC News posted false information that people were paid to protest Trump's rally before the elections (Guess et al., 2018).

In conclusion, the number of fake news websites is increasing. It is important that people trace the origin of their articles they read before making any large investment and utilize these platforms to determine whether or not to trust the information(Lyric, 2018). Measures should be taken to educate the public on how to differentiate false news to reduce the harm caused. More regulation should be put in place to minimize the actions of fake news producers. Journalists should be encouraged to be more ethical in news reporting. Instilling culture and goods values and promotion of truth will help reduce phoney news websites.