Fake news -- we hear it all the time. But what is it anyway? There are many definitions as well as many conversations and disagreements about the term. This page helps to give you a few ways to think and understand the concept.
“News stories that have no factual basis but are presented as facts."
This is one possible definition of Fake News, but there are several others. The concept is complex and difficult to define --- there are many types of misinformation and disinformation. To help clarify, Claire Wardle, a researcher for FirstDraftNews, has developed a typology that defines variations of fake news. These distinctions are not absolute but help us to identify problematic information and to approach information sources with a healthy skepticism.