It was bad enough when you had publications like the National Enquirer, with their headlines, “Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby.” But this is the digital age where any noodle with a computer and a couple of IQ points can craft a realistic-looking but fake news report.
That was one of the (many) complaints in the presidential race: someone with absolutely no cred post something on Twitter or Facebook with a provocative SEO-friendly headline and before you know it, other noodles with computers and a couple of IQ points are sharing it with their friends on social media. And so on….
Actually, now that I think about, I’m not being fair. The people who perpetrate such fakeries are actually pretty sophisticated, using their skills to make the product look like the real deal. It’s kind of like your beloved elderly auntie. She means well when she sends you a link to a fauxry that insinuates your favorite candidate is in league with the devil. It must be true’ I saw it on line. Except many of the posters are doing the devil’s work, trying to sabotage the candidate.
Media Matters just posted this story, asking their readers to “Tell Facebook: Fix Your Fake News Problem.”
But just like all the scammers out there, as one as one issue is fixed, another one pops up to take its place.
Here’s a “guide” compiled by Melissa “Mish” Zimdars, an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Media at Merrimack College, that might help in pointing the finger at some of these “False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and Satirical “News” Sources.”
Assuming that she’s real.
The Worried Journalist 