Needless to say, Putin and his people are well known in the world of Fake News and information manipulation. Now more than ever it is necessary to learn to distinguish real information from false news.
Fake news is false or misleading information that is presented as real news. In general, fake news falls into two categories: Knowingly false information: The author who publishes the material knows that it contains false information.
The purpose of such actions may be to manipulate public opinion or increase traffic to a particular website. In general, inaccurate information, but containing reliable data. In this case, the author may not have checked all the facts or exaggerated some aspects to emphasize a particular point of view.
Disinformation is not a new phenomenon
The term “fake news” dates back to the 19th century, but the internet and social media have changed the way fake news is created and distributed. Before the advent of the Internet, people generally got their news from trusted sources in the media, whose journalists had to adhere to strict standards of professional ethics.
With the expansion of the Internet, new ways of publishing, sharing and consuming news and information have emerged, while control standards and editorial norms have significantly decreased.
Many now read the news on social media and other online sources. However, it is not always easy to determine which stories are true and which are not.
Types of Fake News
There are different types of fake news. They depend on the motivation of those who create them. For example:
- Sensationalism sells: scandalous and unusual stories or distorted images increase the number of visits and the distribution of publications on the Internet. Clickbait titles are specifically used to attract visitors to the site and increase the revenue of the site owners from advertising. However, this is often done at the expense of the truth and accuracy of the information.
- Propaganda: False information or distorted facts are used for propaganda purposes, the purpose of which is to mislead the audience and promote a biased political program or point of view, which we see Putin and his allies doing on a daily basis these days.
- Low-quality journalism: Sometimes journalists don’t have time to check all the facts before publishing, and common mistakes lead to fake news as a result. However, up-to-date reliable sources will not contain such errors and readers will be able to obtain reliable information.
- Misleading headlines: Sometimes the news itself may be generally true, but a sensational or misleading headline is used to entice readers to open it. This can lead to fake news, as social networks, the main news distribution site, usually only show the headline and a small snippet of the article.
- Fake content: In this case, fake and fabricated stories are presented as information from genuine news sources to mislead the audience. Another practice widely used these days by Putin.
- Satire and parody: Some fake news is published for entertainment purposes. They are satirical stories based on current news or famous people, with humor, irony and elements of exaggeration. Such stories are not intended to mislead the audience, they are not to be taken seriously.
Fake News, the Russian allies in the invasion of Ukraine
Senior politicians have been known to refute information they disagree with as ‘fake news’, even though it is truthfully confirmed information. Something we have seen Putin’s allies in the West do every day.
The concept
‘Fake news’ is a broad concept that means different things to different people, and its meaning can be controversial. In 2018, the British government banned the use of the term in official documents, saying it lacked a clear definition.
Instead, it is preferable to use the terms disinformation to describe false stories. Disinformation is false or misleading information intentionally created and spread, often for financial or political reasons. False information is also misleading information, but in this case, its purpose is not deliberate deception.
How fake news spreads
Fake news is usually spread through fake news sites that often copy the look and feel of genuine news sources to inspire user confidence. According to research, false information spreads faster through social networks than real news.
The reason fake news spreads so quickly is because it appeals to emotions, often containing bizarre claims or causing anger or fear. Social media feeds prioritize content based on engagement metrics, which are based on how often users share and like a particular post, rather than how accurate or well-crafted it is. This approach leads to extensive news coverage with clickbait headlines, exaggerated data, and misinformation.
