"Fake news" means different things to different people. For some people, it refers to falsified news reports purposefully designed to deceive people. For others, "fake news" refers to any information that they don't like or agree with. Because of this, it can be difficult to have a productive conversation about the problem of "fake news."
"The term 'fake news' once referred to misinformation designed to look like legitimate news, but the term has been rendered meaningless and counterproductive through overuse and political weaponization."
While the term "fake news" may be overly politicized, it is a very real problem that we should all be aware of, especially when searching for information online. The short video below [3:19] discusses how the term "fake news" gets used (and misused), and examines some of the differences between real news and fake news:
Misinformation: False or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.
Disinformation: A form of propaganda involving the dissemination of false information with the deliberate intent to deceive or mislead.
"Fake news" is a form of disinformation. Misinformation and disinformation spread online extraordinarily quickly, and they can take many different forms. Some misinformation is simply a little misleading or even accidental, while other types of disinformation are purposefully intended to manipulate and deceive, such as propaganda.
Misinformation further down on the list is more intentional.
Source: First Draft and Visual Capitalist
