Fake News
Fake news source that pretends to be real
Example
Did you see that story about Santa holding the dying boy?
Yeah, it moved me to tears!
Me too, but I found out that it was fake news. :-(
Related Slang
Onion check | To check the source of a news headline |
Fugazi | Fake |
Catfish | To assume a false identity |
Birther | A person who believes Obama is not a US citizen |
MSM | Mainstream media |
DBTS | Don't believe that stuff |
DLTM | Don't lie to me |
Fake news is a term that refers to news outlets that pretend to be real but are actually fake. Fake news includes false stories about all sorts of topics that are crafted in order to appear real and get traffic and social shares on Facebook and Twitter.
While fake news stories, like the satirical ones from The Onion, have been around for years they had never been more prevalent than during the 2016 race for POTUS. During the election many fake news stories were released to deceive people into believing conspiracy theories and other false claims. Many believe that the rise in fake news is due to diminishing newspapers and journalists and social media users willingness to share stories without fact-checking first.