🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 152 (from laksa142)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa152.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States","crawl_time":1755371907,"first_indexed_time":0,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"org,wikipedia!en,\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States s443","src_root_hash":"17790707453426894952","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Fake news websites in the United States - Wikipedia","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Fake news websites  target  United States  audiences by using  disinformation  to create or inflame controversial topics such as the  2016 election . [ 1 ] [ 2 ]  Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real  news organizations , which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message. [ 3 ]  Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as  Hillary Clinton  and  Donald Trump , [ 4 ]  as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation. [ 5 ]  Additionally,  satire  websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Fake news websites  deliberately publish  hoaxes ,  propaganda , and  disinformation  to drive  web traffic  inflamed by  social media . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]  These sites are distinguished from  news satire  as fake news articles are usually fabricated to deliberately mislead readers, either for profit or more ambiguous reasons, such as disinformation campaigns. [ 9 ] [ 11 ]  Many sites originate in or are promoted by Russia, [ 8 ] [ 12 ]  North Macedonia, [ 13 ] [ 14 ]  Romania, [ 15 ]  and the United States. [ 16 ]  Many sites directly targeted the United States both because the U.S. is a high-value ad consumer and extraordinary claims are more likely to be believed during a political crisis. [ 13 ] The New York Times  noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within  tabloid journalism  in years prior to the  2016 U.S. election . [ 11 ]  However, prior to the election between  Hillary Clinton  and  Donald Trump , fake news had not impacted the election process to such a high degree. [ 11 ]  Subsequent to that election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon between supporters of Clinton and Trump; due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such argumentation became vaguer. [ 11 ] Fake news websites use a variety of methods to fool their readers into believing their content, either by attempting to persuade the readers that they are legitimate or by distracting readers with incredible news.\n Fictional examples of clickbait  chumbox  adverts Fake news websites often have article titles that are incredible, prompting the user to click on it and read more. [ 17 ]  This method of enticing readers to view content on their website often leads to exaggerated or even fake titles. When linked to from other sites, usually social media, having an extraordinary story title played a large part in tricking users who cannot tell if the article is real or not. This became especially relevant in the 2016 election. Additionally, out-of-context or  manipulated images  can cause readers to incorrectly assume an article's legitimacy, often due to their inflammatory image choice. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] Facebook 's Vice President of News Feed says the social media giant defines clickbait \"as headlines that withhold significant amounts of information and mislead the user\". Because it is difficult to determine what content exactly is fake news, the website uses a data set to calculate the likelihood of a headline being clickbait. [ 20 ] Another method of gaining readers is impersonating a legitimate news organization. This can come in two forms, either by copying a popular news organization's website formatting and pretending to be a lesser known publication or by completely copying an existing website down to its name and authors. [ 2 ]  Exact copies can trick viewers into believing the website is an official organization such as the Bloomberg.ma [ 21 ] [ 22 ]  or cnn-trending.com. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] ABCnews.com.co  was a  fake news website  that \"crudely\" [ 25 ] spoofed  legitimate  journalistic  organization  ABC News , but was in reality completely unrelated. The site published only fake stories, usually with a realistic  clickbait  headline, albeit with story-details containing enough flaws that the \"discerning reader would likely notice\" it was false. [ 26 ] The  Denver Guardian  was a blog site registered in 2016 that claimed to be a legitimate newspaper in  Denver , but only ran a single fabricated story that went  viral . [ 27 ] Typosquatting, a form of  cybersquatting , is based on Internet users mistyping the name of a popular Web site. A typosquatter will monitor how many clicks a \"typo\" domain name receives and use the information to sell advertising for the sites that receive a high volume of \"accidental\" traffic. [ 28 ]  Many popular fake news websites like ABCnews.com.co attempted to impersonate a legitimate U.S. news publication, relying on readers not actually checking the address they typed or clicked on. They exploited common misspellings, slight misphrasings and abuse of  top-level domains  such as .com.co as opposed to .com. Many social media users were duped, believing they were going to an actual news publication's website. [ 29 ] Since the authors of these websites are not actual reporters, many fake news sites either pretend to have the identity of a reporter or simply do not include an 'About Us' page. [ 30 ]  When these sites are publicized by actual organizations, they receive a bit of legitimacy along with more viewers. [ 19 ] Fake news campaigns [ edit ] The election cycle of the  US office of president  has become a focal point around which many campaigns of fake news are organized.\n 2020 election cycle [ edit ] A November 2019 editorial in the  San Diego Union-Tribune  suggested that Facebook and Google \"do what broadcast and cable TV networks have done for decades: have politically neutral fact-checkers vet every single political ad. This approach has not prevented past campaigns from running powerful, hard-hitting ads. What it does prevent, or at least limit, is the rapid spread of disinformation.\" [ 31 ] According to Will Robinson, a Democratic consultant and a founding partner of New Media Firm, \"This is the first post-mass media election in which, for the first time in U.S. history, more significant amounts of money will be spent on social media and digital than on broadcast.\" Glen Bolger, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a leading Republican polling firm, predicted that \"If you like clean, positive, issue-oriented campaigns, you're going to be disappointed. It's going to be rough and tumble.\" [ 32 ] In December Facebook and Twitter disabled a global network of 900 pages, groups and accounts sending pro-Trump messages. The fake news accounts managed to avoid detection as being inauthentic, and they used photos generated with the aid of artificial intelligence. The campaign was based in the U.S. and Vietnam. \"There's no question that social media has really changed the way that we talk about politics,\" said Deen Freelon, a media professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. \"The No. 1 example is our president who, whether you like him or not, uses social media in ways that are unprecedented for a president and I would say any politician.\" [ 33 ] A 2019 article in  USA Today  stated that \"[In the 2020 election,] with so many people running for president and so many bad actors trying to spread disinformation about them, it will be difficult to determine what is 'fake news' and who created it. The question is not if or when there will be disinformation campaigns, because they have already started.\" [ 34 ] 2016 election cycle [ edit ] Fake news websites played a large part in the online news community during the election, reinforced by extreme exposure on Facebook and Google. [ 35 ]  Approximately 115 pro-Trump fake stories were shared on Facebook a total of 30 million times, and 41 pro-Clinton fake stories shared a total of 7.6 million times. [ 36 ] [ 37 ]  There were two main reasons for creating fake news: economical and ideological. [ 36 ]  The teenagers in Veles, for example, produced stories favoring both Trump and Clinton that earned them tens of thousands of dollars. [ 38 ]  Some fake news providers seek to advance candidates they favor. The Romanian man who ran  endingthefed.com , for example, claims that he started the site mainly to help Donald Trump's campaign. [ 15 ] Major fake news sites involved [ edit ] ABCnews.com.co  – pro-right [ 25 ] Conservative Daily Post  – both anti-left and anti-right [ 39 ] [ 40 ] Denver Guardian  – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles [ 41 ] Disinfomedia  – anti-right articles that aimed to trick alt-rights [ 16 ] News Examiner  – anti-left articles [ 42 ] NewsPunch  – inflammatory for both sides as well as conspiratorial [ 43 ] SubjectPolitics.com  – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles [ 44 ] Professor  Philip N. Howard  of the  University of Oxford  found that about one half of all news on  Twitter  directed at  Michigan  prior to the election was junk or fake. The other half came from real news sources. Criticized for failing to stop fake news from spreading on its platform during the 2016 election,  Facebook  thought that the problem could be solved by engineering, until May 2017 when it announced plans to hire 3,000 content reviewers. [ 45 ]  Fraudulent stories during the  2016 U.S. presidential election  popularized on Facebook included a viral post that  Pope Francis  and actor  Denzel Washington  had endorsed  Donald Trump . [ 46 ] [ 47 ] BuzzFeed News  found that on Facebook during the last three months of the election, fake news stories received more attention than real news stories. It was discovered that the top twenty fake news stories had 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments, while the top twenty real news stories were only shared, commented on, and reacted to 7,367,000 times. [ 48 ]  One prominent fraudulent news story released after the election—that protesters at anti-Trump rallies in Austin, Texas, were \"bused in\"—started as a tweet by one individual with 40 Twitter followers. [ 49 ]  Over the next three days, the tweet was shared at least 16,000 times on Twitter and 350,000 times on Facebook, and promoted in the conservative blogosphere, before the individual stated that he had fabricated his assertions. [ 49 ] President Barack Obama  commented on the significant problem of fraudulent information on social networks impacting elections in a speech the day before  Election Day  in 2016, saying lies repeated on social media created a \"dust cloud of nonsense\". [ 50 ] [ 51 ]  Shortly after the election, Obama again commented on the problem, saying in an appearance with  German Chancellor Angela Merkel : \"if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems\". [ 52 ] [ 53 ]  President Trump also commented significantly on fake news, creating the  Fake News Awards  to highlight real news outlets that publicly \"misrepresented\" him. [ 54 ] In early November 2016, fake news sites and Internet forums falsely implicated the restaurant  Comet Ping Pong  and  Democratic Party  figures as part of a fictitious  child trafficking  ring, which was dubbed \" Pizzagate \". [ 55 ]  The conspiracy theory was debunked by the fact-checking website  Snopes.com ,  The New York Times , and  Fox News . [ 56 ] [ 57 ] [ 58 ] [ 59 ]  The restaurant's owners and staff were harassed and threatened on social media. [ 55 ] [ 60 ]  After threats, Comet Ping Pong increased security for concerts held inside its premises. [ 61 ] Days after the attack,  Hillary Clinton  spoke out on the dangers of fake news in a tribute speech to retiring Senator  Harry Reid  at the  U.S. Capitol . [ 62 ] [ 63 ]  Clinton called the spread of fraudulent news and fabricated propaganda an epidemic that flowed through social media. [ 62 ] [ 63 ]  She said it posed a danger to citizens of the U.S. and to the country's political process. [ 62 ] [ 63 ]  Clinton said in her speech she supported bills before the U.S. Congress to deal with fake news. [ 62 ] Notable examples of fake news websites [ edit ] Many of these websites are categorized as fake news because they have a satirical take on the news, but ultimately fail to convince their readers that their content is actually fake.\n RealTrueNews.com was created as a  hoax  that the author believed would teach his  alt-right  friends about reader gullibility. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] [ 66 ]  The \"everything was a lie\" strapline was added later. Marco Chacon created the fake news site  RealTrueNews  to show his  alt-right  friends their alleged gullibility. [ 64 ] [ 65 ]  Chacon wrote a fake transcript for Clinton's leaked speeches in which Clinton explains  bronies  to  Goldman Sachs  bankers. [ 64 ] [ 65 ]  Chacon was shocked when his fiction was reported as factual by  Fox News  and he heard his writings on  Megyn Kelly 's  The Kelly File . [ 64 ] [ 65 ] Trace Gallagher  repeated Chacon's fiction and falsely reported Clinton had called  Bernie Sanders  supporters a \"bucket of losers\"—a phrase made up by Chacon. [ 64 ]  After denials from Clinton staff, Megyn Kelly apologized with a public retraction. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] [ 66 ] Chacon later told  Brent Bambury  of  CBC Radio One  program  Day 6  that he was so shocked at readers' ignorance he felt it was like an episode from  The Twilight Zone . [ 66 ]  In an interview with  ABC News , Chacon defended his site, saying it was an over-the-top parody of fake sites to teach his friends how ridiculous they were. [ 67 ] The Daily Beast  reported on the popularity of Chacon's fictions being reported as if it were factual and noted pro-Trump  message boards  and YouTube videos routinely believed them. [ 64 ]  In a follow-up piece Chacon wrote as a contributor for  The Daily Beast  after the 2016 U.S. election, he concluded those most susceptible to fake news were consumers who limited themselves to partisan media outlets. [ 65 ] Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com) [ edit ] MediaFetcher.com is a fake news website generator. It has various templates for creating false articles about celebrities of a user's choice. Often users miss the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, before re-sharing. The website has prompted many readers to speculate about the deaths of various celebrities. [ 68 ] [ 69 ] Similar to Global Associated News, many readers have been tricked into believing the satire website  Huzlers . Snopes has over 30 separate fact checks on their articles, each one correcting the fake news from Huzlers. [ 70 ] [ 71 ]  According to owner  Pablo Reyes Jr. , the website does not \"try to trick people intentionally\". [ 72 ] 70news was a  WordPress -based blog site, which produced fake news during 2016; in particular, one story falsely stated that  Donald Trump  had won the  popular vote  in the 2016 election, fooled search engine algorithms and ranked very highly in results the day after the election. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] When googling \"final election vote count\", the website 70News was the top one to come up. It truthfully stated that Trump had won the electoral college but falsely stated that Trump was ahead of Hillary Clinton in the popular vote. By the next day, the story had dropped one spot to number two on the search list. Google commented that its software algorithms use hundreds of factors to determine the ranking. [ 75 ] In addition to disconnected sites that run on an inadequate budget, there are sites with many connections behind them:  Jestin Coler  from  Los Angeles  founded Disinfomedia, a company that owns many fake news sites. [ 16 ]  He gave interviews under a  pseudonym , Allen Montgomery. [ 16 ]  With the help of tech-company engineer John Jansen, journalists from  NPR  found Coler's identity. [ 16 ]  Coler explained how his intent for his project backfired; he wanted to expose alt-right  echo chambers , and point out their gullibility. [ 16 ]  He stated his company wrote fake articles for the  left wing  that were not shared as much as those from a  right-wing  point of view. [ 16 ] National Report  and  News Examiner [ edit ] Both of these fake news websites heavily profited through the use of clickbait headlines, which were usually false.  Paul Horner , a lead writer at both of these websites, focused significantly on the election, since it drew strong ad revenue. He told  The Washington Post  he made $10,000 per month through ads linked to fake news. [ 76 ] [ 77 ] [ 78 ]  After the election, Horner said that he felt his efforts helped Trump. [ 79 ]  In a follow-up interview with  Rolling Stone , Horner revealed  The Washington Post  profile piece on him spurred increased interest with over 60 interview requests from media including  ABC News ,  CBS News , and CBS's  Inside Edition . [ 80 ]  Horner explained his writing style: articles that appeared legitimate at the top and became increasingly absurd as the reader progressed. [ 80 ]  These two websites often referenced each other. [ 42 ] Christian Times Newspaper [ edit ] In an interview with  The New York Times , Cameron Harris of Annapolis, Maryland, explains how he profited from creating fake news on his website, ChristianTimesNewspaper.com, that included a false story claiming that premarked ballots for Mrs. Clinton were being held in boxes at a warehouse in Ohio. [ 81 ] [ 82 ]  Within a few days, the story had earned him around $5,000. [ 81 ] During the summer of 2016,  KMT 11 News  published a series of fake news stories regarding celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns. These towns included  Brentwood, Tennessee , [ 83 ] Chandler, Arizona , [ 84 ]  and  Atlantic City, New Jersey . [ 85 ] [ 86 ] Spread and identification of fake news [ edit ] 44 percent of all US adults get news from  Facebook . [ 87 ]  Investigations conducted in 2017 showed nearly 40 percent of content by far-right Facebook pages and 19 percent of far-left pages were false or misleading. [ 87 ]  In the 10 months leading up to the  2016 presidential election , 20 fake news articles shared on Facebook dramatically increased from 3 million shares, reactions, and comments to nearly 9 million. [ 87 ]  Mainstream media articles, on the other hand, declined from 12 million shares, reactions, and comments in February to only 7.3 million by Election Day. [ 87 ] In 2019  Christine Michel Carter , a writer who has reported on  Generation Alpha  for  Forbes  stated that one-third of the generation can decipher false or misleading information in the media. [ 88 ]  A study conducted by the  Stanford Graduate School of Education  from January 2015 revealed difficulties that middle, high school, and college students experienced in differentiating between advertisements and news articles, or identifying where information originated. [ 89 ]  One concern noted by researchers of the study is that democracy is at risk of devolving due to the ways in which falsehoods about civic issues can quickly spread with a growing ease of access. In one assessment, high school students were asked to evaluate two Facebook posts mentioning  Donald Trump 's candidacy for president; one was from an actual  Fox News  account and the other was from a fake account. [ 89 ]  Over 30 percent of students stated that the fake account was more reliable because of its graphic elements and only a quarter recognized the significance of the blue checkmark on  Twitter  and Facebook, which indicates that an account was marked as legitimate. [ 89 ] Elementary school teachers have decided to challenge results from the Stanford study by showing children the importance of not being deceived by what is fake. Fifth grade teacher Scott Bedley in California created his own version of \" Simon Says \", in which students are given three minutes to read an article and decide whether a news story is true or false. [ 90 ]  Bedley worked with another teacher in Kansas, Todd Flory, to devise a \"fake news challenge\" via  Skype  whereby Flory's class picked two real articles and wrote a fake one, to be presented to Bedley's class in California. [ 90 ]  Teachers are promoting these learning techniques with the hope that such strategies and skills will stay with their students' for the rest of their adolescent and adult lives. [ 90 ] [ 91 ] Andreas Schleicher, the lead of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), announced in 2017 that his organization was initiating \"global competencies\" tests that will be taken by 15-year-olds around the world alongside the OECD's current reading, maths and science assessments, which are conducted every three years. This will test how well students can discern fake news outside of their sociopolitical bubble. [ 92 ] Jennifer Coogan, editor in chief of education startup Newsela, has partnered with the  American Press Institute  to help combat fake news consumption in addition to its regular literacy classes. She believes it is now the teacher's responsibility to help teach their students about which media to believe since it is near impossible for a parent to monitor every source that a child will read. [ 93 ] After receiving heavy criticism for not stopping the extreme number of fake news articles on its platform,  Facebook  announced in December 2016 that it would begin to flag fake news. If enough users flagged a story, the story would be sent to a third-party organization to check its veracity. If it failed, it would lose news feed priority as well as have \"disputed by 3rd party fact-checkers\" as a caption. Facebook is also attempting to reduce their financial incentives in an attempt to decrease the amount of fake news. The  fact checking  organizations involved are  ABC News ,  Associated Press ,  FactCheck.org ,  PolitiFact  and  Snopes . [ 94 ] [ 95 ] [ 96 ] In 2018, Facebook has admitted that it \"fell short\" in stopping outside meddling in the U.S. presidential election. This admission comes after increased scrutiny from lawmakers in a broader backlash against Silicon Valley as well as a Senate hearing for social media company executives. [ 97 ] In today's world young people rely heavily on social media to access information that is broadcast on the news. Many teens described traditional news as \"boring\" and \"the same\", implying that it was predictable and devoid of any questioning of power. In contrast, they felt that Facebook postings, YouTube videos, blogs, opinionated talk shows and fake news provided background information and perspectives that enabled them to understand the larger meanings of political events and develop their own opinions. For them, this was a more truthful and authentic rendition of news. [ 98 ] Fact-checking organizations [ edit ] In the aftermath of the election, many fact-checking websites teamed up with Facebook in order to check on the veracity of linked articles. [ 94 ]  Many of these organizations have also posted lists of fake news websites and guides on how to identify them. [ 99 ] [ 19 ] Members of the  U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee  traveled to Ukraine and Poland in March 2016 and heard from officials in both countries on Russian operations to influence their affairs. [ 100 ]  U.S. Senator  Angus King  told the  Portland Press Herald  that tactics used by Russia during the 2016 U.S. election were analogous to those used against other countries. [ 100 ]  King recalled the legislators were informed by officials from both Ukraine and Poland about Russian tactics of \"planting fake news stories\" during elections. [ 100 ]  On November 20, 2016, King joined a letter in which seven members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee asked President Obama to publicize more information from the intelligence community on Russia's role in the U.S. election. [ 100 ] [ 101 ]  In an interview with CNN, Senator King warned against ignoring the problem, saying it was a bipartisan issue. [ 102 ] Amid worries about fake news and  disinformation  being spread by Russia, representatives in the  U.S. Congress  called for more action to track and counter alleged propaganda emanating from overseas. [ 103 ]  On November 20, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the  National Defense Authorization Act  to ask the  U.S. State Department  act against propaganda with an inter-agency panel. [ 103 ]  The legislation authorized funding of $160 million over a two-year-period. [ 103 ]  The initiative was developed through a  bipartisan  bill, the  Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act , written by U.S. Senators Republican  Rob Portman  and Democrat  Chris Murphy . [ 103 ]  Portman urged more U.S. government action to counter propaganda. [ 103 ]  Murphy said after the election it was apparent the U.S. needed additional tactics to fight Russian propaganda. [ 103 ] U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee  member  Ron Wyden  said frustration over covert Russian propaganda was bipartisan. [ 103 ] Republican U.S. Senators stated they planned to hold hearings and investigate Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections. [ 104 ]  By doing so they went against the preference of incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who downplayed any potential Russian meddling in the election. [ 104 ] U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee  Chairman  John McCain  and  U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee  Chairman  Richard Burr  discussed plans for collaboration on investigations of Russian  cyberwarfare  during the election. [ 104 ] U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee  Chairman  Bob Corker  planned a 2017 investigation. [ 104 ]  Senator  Lindsey Graham  indicated he would conduct a sweeping investigation in the  115th U.S. Congress session . [ 104 ] In 2013, the  Federal Trade Commission , as part of a campaign to crack down on bogus health claims, charged over $1.6 million to Beony International, owner Mario Milanovic, and Beony International employee Cody Adams. They conspired to promote their own weight loss products with fake news websites. These websites pretended to be legitimate news organizations and heavily promoted their  acai  berry weight-loss products. [ 105 ] [ 106 ] Counter-Disinformation Team [ edit ] The  United States Department of State  planned to use a unit called the Counter-Disinformation Team, formed with the intention of combating  disinformation  from the  Russian government ; it was disbanded in September 2015 after department heads missed the scope of propaganda before the  2016 U.S. election . [ 107 ]  The U.S. State Department put eight months into developing the unit before scrapping it. [ citation needed ]  It would have been a reboot of the  Active Measures Working Group  set up by  President Reagan. [ 107 ] [ 108 ]  The Counter-Disinformation Team was set up under the  Bureau of International Information Programs . [ 107 ] [ 108 ]  Work began in 2014, with the intention to combat propaganda from Russian sources such as  Russia Today . [ 107 ] [ 108 ] U.S. Intelligence  officials explained to former  National Security Agency  analyst and  counterintelligence  officer John R. Schindler that the  Obama Administration  decided to cancel the unit as they were afraid of antagonizing Russia. [ 107 ] U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel  was point person for the unit before it was canceled. [ 107 ] [ 108 ]  Stengel previously wrote about disinformation by  Russia Today . [ 109 ] [ 110 ]","attrs_markdown":"[Jump to content](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#bodyContent)\n\nMain menu\n\nMain menu\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nNavigation\n\n- [Main page](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Main_Page \"Visit the main page [z]\")\n- [Contents](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Contents \"Guides to browsing Wikipedia\")\n- [Current events](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Current_events \"Articles related to current events\")\n- [Random article](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:Random \"Visit a randomly selected article [x]\")\n- [About Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:About \"Learn about Wikipedia and how it works\")\n- [Contact us](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Contact_us \"How to contact Wikipedia\")\n\nContribute\n\n- [Help](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Contents \"Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia\")\n- [Learn to edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Introduction \"Learn how to edit Wikipedia\")\n- [Community portal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Community_portal \"The hub for editors\")\n- [Recent changes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:RecentChanges \"A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]\")\n- [Upload file](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard \"Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia\")\n- [Special pages](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:SpecialPages)\n\n[![](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/icons\/wikipedia.png) ![Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/mobile\/copyright\/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg) ![The Free Encyclopedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/mobile\/copyright\/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Main_Page)\n\n[Search](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:Search \"Search Wikipedia [f]\")\n\nAppearance\n\n- [Donate](https:\/\/donate.wikimedia.org\/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en)\n- [Create account](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Fake+news+websites+in+the+United+States \"You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory\")\n- [Log in](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Fake+news+websites+in+the+United+States \"You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. 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[o]\")\n\nPages for logged out editors [learn more](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Introduction)\n\n- [Contributions](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyContributions \"A list of edits made from this IP address [y]\")\n- [Talk](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyTalk \"Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]\")\n\n## Contents\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\n- [(Top)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States)\n- [1 Definition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Definition)\n- [2 Methods](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Methods)\n  Toggle Methods subsection\n  - [2\\.1 Clickbait](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Clickbait)\n  - [2\\.2 Impersonation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Impersonation)\n  - [2\\.3 Typosquatting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Typosquatting)\n  - [2\\.4 Obscurity](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Obscurity)\n- [3 Fake news campaigns](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Fake_news_campaigns)\n  Toggle Fake news campaigns subsection\n  - [3\\.1 2020 election cycle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#2020_election_cycle)\n  - [3\\.2 2016 election cycle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#2016_election_cycle)\n    - [3\\.2.1 Major fake news sites involved](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Major_fake_news_sites_involved)\n    - [3\\.2.2 Social media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Social_media)\n  - [3\\.3 \"Pizzagate\"](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#\"Pizzagate\")\n- [4 Notable examples of fake news websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Notable_examples_of_fake_news_websites)\n  Toggle Notable examples of fake news websites subsection\n  - [4\\.1 RealTrueNews](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#RealTrueNews)\n  - [4\\.2 Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Global_Associated_News_\$MediaFetcher.com\$)\n  - [4\\.3 Huzlers](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Huzlers)\n  - [4\\.4 70news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#70news)\n  - [4\\.5 Disinfomedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Disinfomedia)\n  - [4\\.6 *National Report* and *News Examiner*](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#National_Report_and_News_Examiner)\n  - [4\\.7 Christian Times Newspaper](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Christian_Times_Newspaper)\n  - [4\\.8 *KMT 11 News*](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#KMT_11_News)\n- [5 Spread and identification of fake news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Spread_and_identification_of_fake_news)\n- [6 U.S. response](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#U.S._response)\n  Toggle U.S. response subsection\n  - [6\\.1 Educational](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Educational)\n  - [6\\.2 Commercial](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Commercial)\n    - [6\\.2.1 Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Facebook)\n    - [6\\.2.2 Fact-checking organizations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Fact-checking_organizations)\n  - [6\\.3 Governmental](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Governmental)\n    - [6\\.3.1 Legislative](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Legislative)\n    - [6\\.3.2 FTC](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#FTC)\n    - [6\\.3.3 Counter-Disinformation Team](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Counter-Disinformation_Team)\n- [7 See also](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#See_also)\n- [8 References](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#References)\n- [9 Further reading](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Further_reading)\n- [10 External links](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#External_links)\n\nToggle the table of contents\n\n# Fake news websites in the United States\n2 languages\n\n- [العربية](https:\/\/ar.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9 \"مواقع الأخبار المزيفة في الولايات المتحدة – Arabic\")\n- [Português](https:\/\/pt.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sites_de_not%C3%ADcias_falsas_nos_Estados_Unidos \"Sites de notícias falsas nos Estados Unidos – Portuguese\")\n\n[Edit links](https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Special:EntityPage\/Q28136549#sitelinks-wikipedia \"Edit interlanguage links\")\n\n- [Article](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States \"View the content page [c]\")\n- [Talk](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Talk:Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States \"Discuss improvements to the content page [t]\")\n\nEnglish\n\n- [Read](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States)\n- [Edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit \"Edit this page [e]\")\n- [View history](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=history \"Past revisions of this page [h]\")\n\nTools\n\nTools\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nActions\n\n- [Read](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States)\n- [Edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit \"Edit this page [e]\")\n- [View history](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=history)\n\nGeneral\n\n- [What links here](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:WhatLinksHere\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States \"List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]\")\n- [Related changes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:RecentChangesLinked\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States \"Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]\")\n- [Upload file](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard \"Upload files [u]\")\n- [Permanent link](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&oldid=1289041495 \"Permanent link to this revision of this page\")\n- [Page information](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=info \"More information about this page\")\n- [Cite this 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item](https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Special:EntityPage\/Q28136549 \"Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]\")\n\nAppearance\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\n\n[Fake news websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website \"Fake news website\") target [United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States \"United States\") audiences by using [disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") to create or inflame controversial topics such as the [2016 election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_presidential_election \"2016 United States presidential election\").[\\[1\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-1)[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:8-2) Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real [news organizations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_organization \"News organization\"), which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message.[\\[3\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-3) Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as [Hillary Clinton](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hillary_Clinton \"Hillary Clinton\") and [Donald Trump](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_Trump \"Donald Trump\"),[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-4) as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation.[\\[5\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-5) Additionally, [satire](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Satire \"Satire\") websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles.[\\[6\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-6)[\\[7\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-7)\n\n## Definition\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=1 \"Edit section: Definition\")\\]\n\n[Fake news websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website \"Fake news website\") deliberately publish [hoaxes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hoaxes \"Hoaxes\"), [propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda \"Propaganda\"), and [disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") to drive [web traffic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Web_traffic \"Web traffic\") inflamed by [social media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_media \"Social media\").[\\[8\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-russiadominates-8)[\\[9\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-snopesfieldguide-9)[\\[10\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-divideeurope-10) These sites are distinguished from [news satire](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_satire \"News satire\") as fake news articles are usually fabricated to deliberately mislead readers, either for profit or more ambiguous reasons, such as disinformation campaigns.[\\[9\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-snopesfieldguide-9)[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) Many sites originate in or are promoted by Russia,[\\[8\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-russiadominates-8)[\\[12\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-12) North Macedonia,[\\[13\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:4-13)[\\[14\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-14) Romania,[\\[15\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Inc.com-15) and the United States.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) Many sites directly targeted the United States both because the U.S. is a high-value ad consumer and extraordinary claims are more likely to be believed during a political crisis.[\\[13\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:4-13)\n\n*[The New York Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_New_York_Times \"The New York Times\")* noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within [tabloid journalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tabloid_journalism \"Tabloid journalism\") in years prior to the [2016 U.S. election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_presidential_election \"2016 United States presidential election\").[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) However, prior to the election between [Hillary Clinton](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hillary_Clinton \"Hillary Clinton\") and [Donald Trump](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_Trump \"Donald Trump\"), fake news had not impacted the election process to such a high degree.[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) Subsequent to that election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon between supporters of Clinton and Trump; due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such argumentation became vaguer.[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11)\n\n## Methods\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=2 \"Edit section: Methods\")\\]\n\nFake news websites use a variety of methods to fool their readers into believing their content, either by attempting to persuade the readers that they are legitimate or by distracting readers with incredible news.\n\n### Clickbait\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=3 \"Edit section: Clickbait\")\\]\n\nMain article: [Clickbait](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clickbait \"Clickbait\")\n\n[![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/94\/Example_clickbait_adverts_%28cropped%29.jpg\/330px-Example_clickbait_adverts_%28cropped%29.jpg)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Example_clickbait_adverts_\$cropped\$.jpg)\n\nFictional examples of clickbait [chumbox](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chumbox \"Chumbox\") adverts\n\nFake news websites often have article titles that are incredible, prompting the user to click on it and read more.[\\[17\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-17) This method of enticing readers to view content on their website often leads to exaggerated or even fake titles. When linked to from other sites, usually social media, having an extraordinary story title played a large part in tricking users who cannot tell if the article is real or not. This became especially relevant in the 2016 election. Additionally, out-of-context or [manipulated images](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manipulated_image \"Manipulated image\") can cause readers to incorrectly assume an article's legitimacy, often due to their inflammatory image choice.[\\[18\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-18)[\\[19\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19)\n\n[Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Facebook \"Facebook\")'s Vice President of News Feed says the social media giant defines clickbait \"as headlines that withhold significant amounts of information and mislead the user\". Because it is difficult to determine what content exactly is fake news, the website uses a data set to calculate the likelihood of a headline being clickbait.[\\[20\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-20)\n\n### Impersonation\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=4 \"Edit section: Impersonation\")\\]\n\nAnother method of gaining readers is impersonating a legitimate news organization. This can come in two forms, either by copying a popular news organization's website formatting and pretending to be a lesser known publication or by completely copying an existing website down to its name and authors.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:8-2) Exact copies can trick viewers into believing the website is an official organization such as the Bloomberg.ma[\\[21\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-21)[\\[22\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-22) or cnn-trending.com.[\\[23\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-23)[\\[24\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-24)\n\n[ABCnews.com.co](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABCnews.com.co \"ABCnews.com.co\") was a [fake news website](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website \"Fake news website\") that \"crudely\"[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-columbia-25) [spoofed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Website_spoofing \"Website spoofing\") legitimate [journalistic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_media \"News media\") organization [ABC News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABC_News_\$United_States\$ \"ABC News (United States)\"), but was in reality completely unrelated. The site published only fake stories, usually with a realistic [clickbait](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clickbait \"Clickbait\") headline, albeit with story-details containing enough flaws that the \"discerning reader would likely notice\" it was false.[\\[26\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-26)\n\nThe [Denver Guardian](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denver_Guardian \"Denver Guardian\") was a blog site registered in 2016 that claimed to be a legitimate newspaper in [Denver](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denver \"Denver\"), but only ran a single fabricated story that went [viral](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Viral_phenomenon \"Viral phenomenon\").[\\[27\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-27)\n\n### Typosquatting\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=5 \"Edit section: Typosquatting\")\\]\n\nTyposquatting, a form of [cybersquatting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cybersquatting \"Cybersquatting\"), is based on Internet users mistyping the name of a popular Web site. A typosquatter will monitor how many clicks a \"typo\" domain name receives and use the information to sell advertising for the sites that receive a high volume of \"accidental\" traffic.[\\[28\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-28) Many popular fake news websites like ABCnews.com.co attempted to impersonate a legitimate U.S. news publication, relying on readers not actually checking the address they typed or clicked on. They exploited common misspellings, slight misphrasings and abuse of [top-level domains](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Top-level_domain \"Top-level domain\") such as .com.co as opposed to .com. Many social media users were duped, believing they were going to an actual news publication's website.[\\[29\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-29)\n\n### Obscurity\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=6 \"Edit section: Obscurity\")\\]\n\nSince the authors of these websites are not actual reporters, many fake news sites either pretend to have the identity of a reporter or simply do not include an 'About Us' page.[\\[30\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-30) When these sites are publicized by actual organizations, they receive a bit of legitimacy along with more viewers.[\\[19\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19)\n\n## Fake news campaigns\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=7 \"Edit section: Fake news campaigns\")\\]\n\nThe election cycle of the [US office of president](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_presidential_election \"United States presidential election\") has become a focal point around which many campaigns of fake news are organized.\n\n### 2020 election cycle\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=8 \"Edit section: 2020 election cycle\")\\]\n\nSee also: [Foreign interference in the 2020 United States elections](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Foreign_interference_in_the_2020_United_States_elections \"Foreign interference in the 2020 United States elections\")\n\nA November 2019 editorial in the *[San Diego Union-Tribune](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_Diego_Union-Tribune \"San Diego Union-Tribune\")* suggested that Facebook and Google \"do what broadcast and cable TV networks have done for decades: have politically neutral fact-checkers vet every single political ad. This approach has not prevented past campaigns from running powerful, hard-hitting ads. What it does prevent, or at least limit, is the rapid spread of disinformation.\"[\\[31\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-31)\n\nAccording to Will Robinson, a Democratic consultant and a founding partner of New Media Firm, \"This is the first post-mass media election in which, for the first time in U.S. history, more significant amounts of money will be spent on social media and digital than on broadcast.\" Glen Bolger, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a leading Republican polling firm, predicted that \"If you like clean, positive, issue-oriented campaigns, you're going to be disappointed. It's going to be rough and tumble.\"[\\[32\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-32)\n\nIn December Facebook and Twitter disabled a global network of 900 pages, groups and accounts sending pro-Trump messages. The fake news accounts managed to avoid detection as being inauthentic, and they used photos generated with the aid of artificial intelligence. The campaign was based in the U.S. and Vietnam. \"There's no question that social media has really changed the way that we talk about politics,\" said Deen Freelon, a media professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. \"The No. 1 example is our president who, whether you like him or not, uses social media in ways that are unprecedented for a president and I would say any politician.\"[\\[33\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-33)\n\nA 2019 article in *[USA Today](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/USA_Today \"USA Today\")* stated that \"\\[In the 2020 election,\\] with so many people running for president and so many bad actors trying to spread disinformation about them, it will be difficult to determine what is 'fake news' and who created it. The question is not if or when there will be disinformation campaigns, because they have already started.\"[\\[34\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-34)\n\n### 2016 election cycle\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=9 \"Edit section: 2016 election cycle\")\\]\n\nFurther information: [Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") and [Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_media_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election \"Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election\")\n\nFake news websites played a large part in the online news community during the election, reinforced by extreme exposure on Facebook and Google.[\\[35\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-35) Approximately 115 pro-Trump fake stories were shared on Facebook a total of 30 million times, and 41 pro-Clinton fake stories shared a total of 7.6 million times.[\\[36\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:12-36)[\\[37\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-37) There were two main reasons for creating fake news: economical and ideological.[\\[36\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:12-36) The teenagers in Veles, for example, produced stories favoring both Trump and Clinton that earned them tens of thousands of dollars.[\\[38\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-38) Some fake news providers seek to advance candidates they favor. The Romanian man who ran *endingthefed.com*, for example, claims that he started the site mainly to help Donald Trump's campaign.[\\[15\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Inc.com-15)\n\n#### Major fake news sites involved\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=10 \"Edit section: Major fake news sites involved\")\\]\n\n- *[ABCnews.com.co](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABCnews.com.co \"ABCnews.com.co\")* – pro-right[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-columbia-25)\n- *Conservative Daily Post* – both anti-left and anti-right[\\[39\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-39)[\\[40\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-40)\n- *[Denver Guardian](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denver_Guardian \"Denver Guardian\")* – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles[\\[41\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-41)\n- *Disinfomedia* – anti-right articles that aimed to trick alt-rights[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16)\n- *News Examiner* – anti-left articles[\\[42\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:11-42)\n- *[NewsPunch](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NewsPunch \"NewsPunch\")* – inflammatory for both sides as well as conspiratorial[\\[43\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-43)\n- *SubjectPolitics.com* – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles[\\[44\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-44)\n\n#### Social media\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=11 \"Edit section: Social media\")\\]\n\nProfessor [Philip N. Howard](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Philip_N._Howard \"Philip N. Howard\") of the [University of Oxford](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/University_of_Oxford \"University of Oxford\") found that about one half of all news on [Twitter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Twitter \"Twitter\") directed at [Michigan](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michigan \"Michigan\") prior to the election was junk or fake. The other half came from real news sources. Criticized for failing to stop fake news from spreading on its platform during the 2016 election, [Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Facebook \"Facebook\") thought that the problem could be solved by engineering, until May 2017 when it announced plans to hire 3,000 content reviewers.[\\[45\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-45) Fraudulent stories during the [2016 U.S. presidential election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_presidential_election \"2016 United States presidential election\") popularized on Facebook included a viral post that [Pope Francis](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pope_Francis \"Pope Francis\") and actor [Denzel Washington](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denzel_Washington \"Denzel Washington\") had endorsed [Donald Trump](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_Trump \"Donald Trump\").[\\[46\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-alyssanewcomb-46)[\\[47\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-didthepope-47)\n\n[BuzzFeed News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BuzzFeed_News \"BuzzFeed News\") found that on Facebook during the last three months of the election, fake news stories received more attention than real news stories. It was discovered that the top twenty fake news stories had 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments, while the top twenty real news stories were only shared, commented on, and reacted to 7,367,000 times.[\\[48\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-48) One prominent fraudulent news story released after the election—that protesters at anti-Trump rallies in Austin, Texas, were \"bused in\"—started as a tweet by one individual with 40 Twitter followers.[\\[49\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-maheshwari-49) Over the next three days, the tweet was shared at least 16,000 times on Twitter and 350,000 times on Facebook, and promoted in the conservative blogosphere, before the individual stated that he had fabricated his assertions.[\\[49\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-maheshwari-49)\n\n[President](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/President_of_the_United_States \"President of the United States\") [Barack Obama](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Barack_Obama \"Barack Obama\") commented on the significant problem of fraudulent information on social networks impacting elections in a speech the day before [Election Day](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Election_Day \"Election Day\") in 2016, saying lies repeated on social media created a \"dust cloud of nonsense\".[\\[50\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-zuckerbergsays-50)[\\[51\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-51) Shortly after the election, Obama again commented on the problem, saying in an appearance with [German Chancellor](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chancellor_of_Germany \"Chancellor of Germany\") [Angela Merkel](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Angela_Merkel \"Angela Merkel\"): \"if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems\".[\\[52\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-jaketapper-52)[\\[53\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-HarrisEddy-53) President Trump also commented significantly on fake news, creating the [Fake News Awards](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_News_Awards \"Fake News Awards\") to highlight real news outlets that publicly \"misrepresented\" him.[\\[54\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-54)\n\n### \"Pizzagate\"\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=12 \"Edit section: \\\"Pizzagate\\\"\")\\]\n\nSee also: [Pizzagate conspiracy theory](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory \"Pizzagate conspiracy theory\")\n\nIn early November 2016, fake news sites and Internet forums falsely implicated the restaurant [Comet Ping Pong](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Comet_Ping_Pong \"Comet Ping Pong\") and [Democratic Party](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Democratic_Party_\$United_States\$ \"Democratic Party (United States)\") figures as part of a fictitious [child trafficking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Child_trafficking \"Child trafficking\") ring, which was dubbed \"[Pizzagate](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory \"Pizzagate conspiracy theory\")\".[\\[55\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bbc-pizzagate-55) The conspiracy theory was debunked by the fact-checking website [Snopes.com](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Snopes.com \"Snopes.com\"), *[The New York Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_New_York_Times \"The New York Times\")*, and [Fox News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fox_News \"Fox News\").[\\[56\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-56)[\\[57\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-57)[\\[58\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-DCGunman-58)[\\[59\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Fox-59) The restaurant's owners and staff were harassed and threatened on social media.[\\[55\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bbc-pizzagate-55)[\\[60\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-60) After threats, Comet Ping Pong increased security for concerts held inside its premises.[\\[61\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-61)\n\nDays after the attack, [Hillary Clinton](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hillary_Clinton \"Hillary Clinton\") spoke out on the dangers of fake news in a tribute speech to retiring Senator [Harry Reid](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Harry_Reid \"Harry Reid\") at the [U.S. Capitol](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Capitol \"United States Capitol\").[\\[62\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\\[63\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) Clinton called the spread of fraudulent news and fabricated propaganda an epidemic that flowed through social media.[\\[62\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\\[63\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) She said it posed a danger to citizens of the U.S. and to the country's political process.[\\[62\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\\[63\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) Clinton said in her speech she supported bills before the U.S. Congress to deal with fake news.[\\[62\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)\n\n## Notable examples of fake news websites\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=13 \"Edit section: Notable examples of fake news websites\")\\]\n\nMany of these websites are categorized as fake news because they have a satirical take on the news, but ultimately fail to convince their readers that their content is actually fake.\n\n### RealTrueNews\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=14 \"Edit section: RealTrueNews\")\\]\n\n[![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/4a\/Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg\/250px-Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg)\n\nRealTrueNews.com was created as a [hoax](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_hoax \"Internet hoax\") that the author believed would teach his [alt-right](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alt-right \"Alt-right\") friends about reader gullibility.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65)[\\[66\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66) The \"everything was a lie\" strapline was added later.\n\nMarco Chacon created the fake news site *RealTrueNews* to show his [alt-right](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alt-right \"Alt-right\") friends their alleged gullibility.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) Chacon wrote a fake transcript for Clinton's leaked speeches in which Clinton explains [bronies](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bronies \"Bronies\") to [Goldman Sachs](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Goldman_Sachs \"Goldman Sachs\") bankers.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) Chacon was shocked when his fiction was reported as factual by [Fox News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fox_News \"Fox News\") and he heard his writings on [Megyn Kelly](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Megyn_Kelly \"Megyn Kelly\")'s *[The Kelly File](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Kelly_File \"The Kelly File\")*.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) [Trace Gallagher](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trace_Gallagher \"Trace Gallagher\") repeated Chacon's fiction and falsely reported Clinton had called [Bernie Sanders](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bernie_Sanders \"Bernie Sanders\") supporters a \"bucket of losers\"—a phrase made up by Chacon.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64) After denials from Clinton staff, Megyn Kelly apologized with a public retraction.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65)[\\[66\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66)\n\nChacon later told [Brent Bambury](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brent_Bambury \"Brent Bambury\") of [CBC Radio One](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CBC_Radio_One \"CBC Radio One\") program *[Day 6](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Day_6 \"Day 6\")* that he was so shocked at readers' ignorance he felt it was like an episode from *[The Twilight Zone](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Twilight_Zone \"The Twilight Zone\")*.[\\[66\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66) In an interview with [ABC News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABC_News_\$United_States\$ \"ABC News (United States)\"), Chacon defended his site, saying it was an over-the-top parody of fake sites to teach his friends how ridiculous they were.[\\[67\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-jujuchang-67) *[The Daily Beast](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Daily_Beast \"The Daily Beast\")* reported on the popularity of Chacon's fictions being reported as if it were factual and noted pro-Trump [message boards](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_forum \"Internet forum\") and YouTube videos routinely believed them.[\\[64\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64) In a follow-up piece Chacon wrote as a contributor for *[The Daily Beast](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Daily_Beast \"The Daily Beast\")* after the 2016 U.S. election, he concluded those most susceptible to fake news were consumers who limited themselves to partisan media outlets.[\\[65\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65)\n\n### Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com)\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=15 \"Edit section: Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com)\")\\]\n\nMediaFetcher.com is a fake news website generator. It has various templates for creating false articles about celebrities of a user's choice. Often users miss the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, before re-sharing. The website has prompted many readers to speculate about the deaths of various celebrities.[\\[68\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-68)[\\[69\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-69)\n\n### Huzlers\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=16 \"Edit section: Huzlers\")\\]\n\nSimilar to Global Associated News, many readers have been tricked into believing the satire website [Huzlers](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Huzlers \"Huzlers\"). Snopes has over 30 separate fact checks on their articles, each one correcting the fake news from Huzlers.[\\[70\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-70)[\\[71\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-71) According to owner [Pablo Reyes Jr.](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pablo_Reyes_Jr. \"Pablo Reyes Jr.\"), the website does not \"try to trick people intentionally\".[\\[72\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-72)\n\n### 70news\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=17 \"Edit section: 70news\")\\]\n\n70news was a [WordPress](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/WordPress \"WordPress\")\\-based blog site, which produced fake news during 2016; in particular, one story falsely stated that [Donald Trump](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_Trump \"Donald Trump\") had won the [popular vote](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_presidential_elections_in_which_the_winner_lost_the_popular_vote \"United States presidential elections in which the winner lost the popular vote\") in the 2016 election, fooled search engine algorithms and ranked very highly in results the day after the election.[\\[73\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-wapo14november2016-73)[\\[74\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-politifact14november2016-74)\n\nWhen googling \"final election vote count\", the website 70News was the top one to come up. It truthfully stated that Trump had won the electoral college but falsely stated that Trump was ahead of Hillary Clinton in the popular vote. By the next day, the story had dropped one spot to number two on the search list. Google commented that its software algorithms use hundreds of factors to determine the ranking.[\\[75\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-75)\n\n### Disinfomedia\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=18 \"Edit section: Disinfomedia\")\\]\n\nIn addition to disconnected sites that run on an inadequate budget, there are sites with many connections behind them: Jestin Coler from [Los Angeles](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles \"Los Angeles\") founded Disinfomedia, a company that owns many fake news sites.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) He gave interviews under a [pseudonym](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pseudonym \"Pseudonym\"), Allen Montgomery.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) With the help of tech-company engineer John Jansen, journalists from [NPR](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NPR \"NPR\") found Coler's identity.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) Coler explained how his intent for his project backfired; he wanted to expose alt-right [echo chambers](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Echo_chamber_\$media\$ \"Echo chamber (media)\"), and point out their gullibility.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) He stated his company wrote fake articles for the [left wing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Left-wing_politics \"Left-wing politics\") that were not shared as much as those from a [right-wing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Right-wing_politics \"Right-wing politics\") point of view.[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16)\n\n### *National Report* and *News Examiner*\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=19 \"Edit section: National Report and News Examiner\")\\]\n\nBoth of these fake news websites heavily profited through the use of clickbait headlines, which were usually false. [Paul Horner](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Horner \"Paul Horner\"), a lead writer at both of these websites, focused significantly on the election, since it drew strong ad revenue. He told *[The Washington Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Washington_Post \"The Washington Post\")* he made \\$10,000 per month through ads linked to fake news.[\\[76\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-thehollywoodreporter-76)[\\[77\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nathanmcalone-77)[\\[78\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-theplaindealer-78) After the election, Horner said that he felt his efforts helped Trump.[\\[79\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-fakenewswriter-79) In a follow-up interview with *[Rolling Stone](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rolling_Stone \"Rolling Stone\")*, Horner revealed *The Washington Post* profile piece on him spurred increased interest with over 60 interview requests from media including [ABC News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABC_News_\$United_States\$ \"ABC News (United States)\"), [CBS News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CBS_News \"CBS News\"), and CBS's *[Inside Edition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inside_Edition \"Inside Edition\")*.[\\[80\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hedegaard-80) Horner explained his writing style: articles that appeared legitimate at the top and became increasingly absurd as the reader progressed.[\\[80\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hedegaard-80) These two websites often referenced each other.[\\[42\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:11-42)\n\n### Christian Times Newspaper\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=20 \"Edit section: Christian Times Newspaper\")\\]\n\nIn an interview with *The New York Times*, Cameron Harris of Annapolis, Maryland, explains how he profited from creating fake news on his website, ChristianTimesNewspaper.com, that included a false story claiming that premarked ballots for Mrs. Clinton were being held in boxes at a warehouse in Ohio.[\\[81\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nytimes2017-81)[\\[82\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-82) Within a few days, the story had earned him around \\$5,000.[\\[81\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nytimes2017-81)\n\n### *KMT 11 News*\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=21 \"Edit section: KMT 11 News\")\\]\n\nDuring the summer of 2016, *KMT 11 News* published a series of fake news stories regarding celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns. These towns included [Brentwood, Tennessee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brentwood,_Tennessee \"Brentwood, Tennessee\"),[\\[83\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-83) [Chandler, Arizona](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chandler,_Arizona \"Chandler, Arizona\"),[\\[84\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-84) and [Atlantic City, New Jersey](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_City,_New_Jersey \"Atlantic City, New Jersey\").[\\[85\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-85)[\\[86\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-86)\n\n## Spread and identification of fake news\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=22 \"Edit section: Spread and identification of fake news\")\\]\n\n44 percent of all US adults get news from [Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Facebook \"Facebook\").[\\[87\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) Investigations conducted in 2017 showed nearly 40 percent of content by far-right Facebook pages and 19 percent of far-left pages were false or misleading.[\\[87\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) In the 10 months leading up to the [2016 presidential election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_presidential_election \"2016 United States presidential election\"), 20 fake news articles shared on Facebook dramatically increased from 3 million shares, reactions, and comments to nearly 9 million.[\\[87\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) Mainstream media articles, on the other hand, declined from 12 million shares, reactions, and comments in February to only 7.3 million by Election Day.[\\[87\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87)\n\nIn 2019 [Christine Michel Carter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christine_Michel_Carter \"Christine Michel Carter\"), a writer who has reported on [Generation Alpha](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Generation_Alpha \"Generation Alpha\") for *Forbes* stated that one-third of the generation can decipher false or misleading information in the media.[\\[88\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-88) A study conducted by the [Stanford Graduate School of Education](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stanford_Graduate_School_of_Education \"Stanford Graduate School of Education\") from January 2015 revealed difficulties that middle, high school, and college students experienced in differentiating between advertisements and news articles, or identifying where information originated.[\\[89\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89) One concern noted by researchers of the study is that democracy is at risk of devolving due to the ways in which falsehoods about civic issues can quickly spread with a growing ease of access. In one assessment, high school students were asked to evaluate two Facebook posts mentioning [Donald Trump](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_Trump \"Donald Trump\")'s candidacy for president; one was from an actual [Fox News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fox_News \"Fox News\") account and the other was from a fake account.[\\[89\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89) Over 30 percent of students stated that the fake account was more reliable because of its graphic elements and only a quarter recognized the significance of the blue checkmark on [Twitter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Twitter \"Twitter\") and Facebook, which indicates that an account was marked as legitimate.[\\[89\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89)\n\n## U.S. response\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=23 \"Edit section: U.S. response\")\\]\n\n### Educational\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=24 \"Edit section: Educational\")\\]\n\nElementary school teachers have decided to challenge results from the Stanford study by showing children the importance of not being deceived by what is fake. Fifth grade teacher Scott Bedley in California created his own version of \"[Simon Says](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simon_Says \"Simon Says\")\", in which students are given three minutes to read an article and decide whether a news story is true or false.[\\[90\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90) Bedley worked with another teacher in Kansas, Todd Flory, to devise a \"fake news challenge\" via [Skype](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skype \"Skype\") whereby Flory's class picked two real articles and wrote a fake one, to be presented to Bedley's class in California.[\\[90\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90) Teachers are promoting these learning techniques with the hope that such strategies and skills will stay with their students' for the rest of their adolescent and adult lives.[\\[90\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90)[\\[91\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-91)\n\nAndreas Schleicher, the lead of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), announced in 2017 that his organization was initiating \"global competencies\" tests that will be taken by 15-year-olds around the world alongside the OECD's current reading, maths and science assessments, which are conducted every three years. This will test how well students can discern fake news outside of their sociopolitical bubble.[\\[92\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-92)\n\nJennifer Coogan, editor in chief of education startup Newsela, has partnered with the [American Press Institute](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Press_Institute \"American Press Institute\") to help combat fake news consumption in addition to its regular literacy classes. She believes it is now the teacher's responsibility to help teach their students about which media to believe since it is near impossible for a parent to monitor every source that a child will read.[\\[93\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-93)\n\n### Commercial\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=25 \"Edit section: Commercial\")\\]\n\n#### Facebook\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=26 \"Edit section: Facebook\")\\]\n\nSee also: [Criticism of Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Criticism_of_Facebook \"Criticism of Facebook\")\n\nAfter receiving heavy criticism for not stopping the extreme number of fake news articles on its platform, [Facebook](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Facebook \"Facebook\") announced in December 2016 that it would begin to flag fake news. If enough users flagged a story, the story would be sent to a third-party organization to check its veracity. If it failed, it would lose news feed priority as well as have \"disputed by 3rd party fact-checkers\" as a caption. Facebook is also attempting to reduce their financial incentives in an attempt to decrease the amount of fake news. The [fact checking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fact-checking \"Fact-checking\") organizations involved are [ABC News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ABC_News_\$United_States\$ \"ABC News (United States)\"), [Associated Press](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Associated_Press \"Associated Press\"), [FactCheck.org](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FactCheck.org \"FactCheck.org\"), [PolitiFact](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PolitiFact \"PolitiFact\") and [Snopes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Snopes.com \"Snopes.com\").[\\[94\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:3-94)[\\[95\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-95)[\\[96\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-96)\n\nIn 2018, Facebook has admitted that it \"fell short\" in stopping outside meddling in the U.S. presidential election. This admission comes after increased scrutiny from lawmakers in a broader backlash against Silicon Valley as well as a Senate hearing for social media company executives.[\\[97\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-97)\n\nIn today's world young people rely heavily on social media to access information that is broadcast on the news. Many teens described traditional news as \"boring\" and \"the same\", implying that it was predictable and devoid of any questioning of power. In contrast, they felt that Facebook postings, YouTube videos, blogs, opinionated talk shows and fake news provided background information and perspectives that enabled them to understand the larger meanings of political events and develop their own opinions. For them, this was a more truthful and authentic rendition of news.[\\[98\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-98)\n\n#### Fact-checking organizations\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=27 \"Edit section: Fact-checking organizations\")\\]\n\nSee also: [Fake news website § Fact-checking websites and journalists](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website#Fact-checking_websites_and_journalists \"Fake news website\")\n\nIn the aftermath of the election, many fact-checking websites teamed up with Facebook in order to check on the veracity of linked articles.[\\[94\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:3-94) Many of these organizations have also posted lists of fake news websites and guides on how to identify them.[\\[99\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-99)[\\[19\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19)\n\n### Governmental\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=28 \"Edit section: Governmental\")\\]\n\n#### Legislative\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=29 \"Edit section: Legislative\")\\]\n\nMembers of the [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence \"United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence\") traveled to Ukraine and Poland in March 2016 and heard from officials in both countries on Russian operations to influence their affairs.[\\[100\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) U.S. Senator [Angus King](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Angus_King \"Angus King\") told the *[Portland Press Herald](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portland_Press_Herald \"Portland Press Herald\")* that tactics used by Russia during the 2016 U.S. election were analogous to those used against other countries.[\\[100\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) King recalled the legislators were informed by officials from both Ukraine and Poland about Russian tactics of \"planting fake news stories\" during elections.[\\[100\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) On November 20, 2016, King joined a letter in which seven members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee asked President Obama to publicize more information from the intelligence community on Russia's role in the U.S. election.[\\[100\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100)[\\[101\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-kingamong-101) In an interview with CNN, Senator King warned against ignoring the problem, saying it was a bipartisan issue.[\\[102\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hackingdeclassified-102)\n\nAmid worries about fake news and [disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") being spread by Russia, representatives in the [U.S. Congress](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Congress \"United States Congress\") called for more action to track and counter alleged propaganda emanating from overseas.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) On November 20, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the [National Defense Authorization Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Defense_Authorization_Act \"National Defense Authorization Act\") to ask the [U.S. State Department](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Department_of_State \"United States Department of State\") act against propaganda with an inter-agency panel.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) The legislation authorized funding of \\$160 million over a two-year-period.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) The initiative was developed through a [bipartisan](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bipartisan \"Bipartisan\") bill, the [Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_and_Disinformation_Act \"Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act\"), written by U.S. Senators Republican [Rob Portman](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rob_Portman \"Rob Portman\") and Democrat [Chris Murphy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chris_Murphy \"Chris Murphy\").[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) Portman urged more U.S. government action to counter propaganda.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) Murphy said after the election it was apparent the U.S. needed additional tactics to fight Russian propaganda.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence \"United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence\") member [Ron Wyden](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ron_Wyden \"Ron Wyden\") said frustration over covert Russian propaganda was bipartisan.[\\[103\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103)\n\nRepublican U.S. Senators stated they planned to hold hearings and investigate Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections.[\\[104\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) By doing so they went against the preference of incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who downplayed any potential Russian meddling in the election.[\\[104\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) [U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Armed_Services \"United States Senate Committee on Armed Services\") Chairman [John McCain](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_McCain \"John McCain\") and [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence \"United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence\") Chairman [Richard Burr](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richard_Burr \"Richard Burr\") discussed plans for collaboration on investigations of Russian [cyberwarfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cyberwarfare \"Cyberwarfare\") during the election.[\\[104\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) [U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Foreign_Relations \"United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations\") Chairman [Bob Corker](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob_Corker \"Bob Corker\") planned a 2017 investigation.[\\[104\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) Senator [Lindsey Graham](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lindsey_Graham \"Lindsey Graham\") indicated he would conduct a sweeping investigation in the [115th U.S. Congress session](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/115th_United_States_Congress \"115th United States Congress\").[\\[104\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104)\n\n#### FTC\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=30 \"Edit section: FTC\")\\]\n\nIn 2013, the [Federal Trade Commission](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Federal_Trade_Commission \"Federal Trade Commission\"), as part of a campaign to crack down on bogus health claims, charged over \\$1.6 million to Beony International, owner Mario Milanovic, and Beony International employee Cody Adams. They conspired to promote their own weight loss products with fake news websites. These websites pretended to be legitimate news organizations and heavily promoted their [acai](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Acai \"Acai\") berry weight-loss products.[\\[105\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-105)[\\[106\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-106)\n\n#### Counter-Disinformation Team\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=31 \"Edit section: Counter-Disinformation Team\")\\]\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| ![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/b\/b4\/Ambox_important.svg\/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png) |   |\n|   |   |\n| ![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Unbalanced_scales.svg\/60px-Unbalanced_scales.svg.png) | The **[neutrality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view \"Wikipedia:Neutral point of view\") of this article is [disputed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:NPOV_dispute \"Wikipedia:NPOV dispute\")**. Relevant discussion may be found on the [talk page](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Talk:Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States \"Talk:Fake news websites in the United States\"). 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Please help [improve it](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit) by replacing them with more appropriate [citations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citing_sources \"Wikipedia:Citing sources\") to [reliable, independent sources](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Independent_sources \"Wikipedia:Independent sources\"). *(November 2020)* *([Learn how and when to remove this message](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Maintenance_template_removal \"Help:Maintenance template removal\"))* |\n|   |   |\n| [![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg\/40px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg) | Some of this article's [listed sources](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citing_sources \"Wikipedia:Citing sources\") **may not be [reliable](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources \"Wikipedia:Reliable sources\")**. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. *(November 2020)* *([Learn how and when to remove this message](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Maintenance_template_removal \"Help:Maintenance template removal\"))* |\n\nThe [United States Department of State](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Department_of_State \"United States Department of State\") planned to use a unit called the Counter-Disinformation Team, formed with the intention of combating [disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") from the [Russian government](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_government \"Russian government\"); it was disbanded in September 2015 after department heads missed the scope of propaganda before the [2016 U.S. election](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_presidential_election \"2016 United States presidential election\").[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107) The U.S. State Department put eight months into developing the unit before scrapping it.\\[*[citation needed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citation_needed \"Wikipedia:Citation needed\")*\\] It would have been a reboot of the [Active Measures Working Group](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Active_Measures_Working_Group \"Active Measures Working Group\") set up by [President Reagan.](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Presidency_of_Ronald_Reagan \"Presidency of Ronald Reagan\")[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\\[108\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) The Counter-Disinformation Team was set up under the [Bureau of International Information Programs](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bureau_of_International_Information_Programs \"Bureau of International Information Programs\").[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\\[108\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) Work began in 2014, with the intention to combat propaganda from Russian sources such as *[Russia Today](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russia_Today \"Russia Today\").[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\\[108\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108)* [U.S. Intelligence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Intelligence_Community \"United States Intelligence Community\") officials explained to former [National Security Agency](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Security_Agency \"National Security Agency\") analyst and [counterintelligence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Counterintelligence \"Counterintelligence\") officer John R. Schindler that the [Obama Administration](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama \"Presidency of Barack Obama\") decided to cancel the unit as they were afraid of antagonizing Russia.[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107) [U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Under_Secretary_of_State_for_Public_Diplomacy_and_Public_Affairs \"Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs\") [Richard Stengel](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richard_Stengel \"Richard Stengel\") was point person for the unit before it was canceled.[\\[107\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\\[108\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) Stengel previously wrote about disinformation by *Russia Today*.[\\[109\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-109)[\\[110\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-110)\n\n## See also\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=32 \"Edit section: See also\")\\]\n\n- [![icon](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/f9\/Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg\/40px-Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg)[Internet portal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Internet \"Portal:Internet\")\n- [![icon](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/0\/01\/A_coloured_voting_box.svg\/40px-A_coloured_voting_box.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:A_coloured_voting_box.svg)[Politics portal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Politics \"Portal:Politics\")\n- ![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/6\/6c\/Psi2.svg\/40px-Psi2.svg.png)[Psychology portal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Psychology \"Portal:Psychology\")\n\n- [Confirmation bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Confirmation_bias \"Confirmation bias\")\n- [Fake news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news \"Fake news\")\n- [Filter bubble](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Filter_bubble \"Filter bubble\")\n- [List of conspiracy theories](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_conspiracy_theories \"List of conspiracy theories\")\n- [List of fake news websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_fake_news_websites \"List of fake news websites\")\n- [List of political disinformation website campaigns in the United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_political_disinformation_website_campaigns_in_the_United_States \"List of political disinformation website campaigns in the United States\")\n- [List of satirical news websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_satirical_news_websites \"List of satirical news websites\")\n- [Selective exposure theory](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Selective_exposure_theory \"Selective exposure theory\")\n- [Spiral of silence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spiral_of_silence \"Spiral of silence\")\n- [Fake news in the United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_in_the_United_States \"Fake news in the United States\")\n- [Fake news in India](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_in_India \"Fake news in India\")\n- [Fake news in the Philippines](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_in_the_Philippines \"Fake news in the Philippines\")\n- [Indian WhatsApp lynchings](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indian_WhatsApp_lynchings \"Indian WhatsApp lynchings\")\n\n## References\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=33 \"Edit section: References\")\\]\n\n1. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-1)**\n   Murphy, Paul P.; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (February 22, 2018). [\"How the Florida school shooting conspiracies sprouted and spread\"](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/02\/22\/us\/parkland-shooting-conspiracy-theories-trnd\/index.html). *CNN*. Retrieved April 13, 2018.\n2. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:8_2-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:8_2-1)\n   Gillin, Joshua (April 20, 2017). [\"PolitiFact's guide to fake news websites and what they peddle\"](http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/punditfact\/article\/2017\/apr\/20\/politifacts-guide-fake-news-websites-and-what-they\/). *PunditFact*. Retrieved September 12, 2020.\n3. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-3)**\n   Wendling, Mike (December 2, 2016). [\"'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread\"](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/blogs-trending-38156985). *BBC News*. Retrieved April 13, 2018.\n4. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-4)**\n   Bump, Philip (April 2, 2016). [\"The pro-Trump fake news website that's finding an audience — with Trump's help\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/the-fix\/wp\/2016\/04\/02\/in-the-year-of-trump-a-made-up-news-website-run-by-an-ex-convict-finds-success\/). *[The Washington Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Washington_Post \"The Washington Post\")*.\n5. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-5)**\n   Higgins, Andrew; McIntire, Mike; Dance, Gabriel J. X. (November 25, 2016). [\"Inside a Fake News Sausage Factory: 'This Is All About Income'\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/25\/world\/europe\/fake-news-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-georgia.html). *The New York Times*.\n6. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-6)**\n   Rensin, Emmett (June 5, 2014). [\"The Great Satirical-News Scam of 2014\"](https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/118013\/satire-news-websites-are-cashing-gullible-outraged-readers). *The New Republic*. Retrieved September 12, 2020.\n7. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-7)**\n   Funke, Daniel (November 30, 2017). [\"A satirical fake news site apologized for making a story too real\"](https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/news\/satirical-fake-news-site-apologized-making-story-too-real). *Poynter*. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n8. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-russiadominates_8-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-russiadominates_8-1)\n   Weisburd, Clint Watts\\|Andrew (August 6, 2016). [\"How Russia Dominates Your Twitter Feed to Promote Lies (And, Trump, Too)\"](https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2016\/08\/06\/how-russia-dominates-your-twitter-feed-to-promote-lies-and-trump-too). *The Daily Beast*. Retrieved April 13, 2018.\n9. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-snopesfieldguide_9-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-snopesfieldguide_9-1)\n   LaCapria, Kim (November 2, 2016). [\"Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors – Snopes.com's updated guide to the internet's clickbaiting, news-faking, social media exploiting dark side\"](http:\/\/www.snopes.com\/2016\/01\/14\/fake-news-sites\/). [Snopes.com](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Snopes.com \"Snopes.com\"). Retrieved November 19, 2016.\n10. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-divideeurope_10-0)**\n    Lewis Sanders IV (October 11, 2016). [\"'Divide Europe': European lawmakers warn of Russian propaganda\"](http:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/divide-europe-european-lawmakers-warn-of-russian-propaganda\/a-36016836). [Deutsche Welle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deutsche_Welle \"Deutsche Welle\"). Retrieved November 24, 2016.\n11. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-3)\n    Tavernise, Sabrina (December 6, 2016). [\"As Fake News Spreads Lies, More Readers Shrug at the Truth\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/12\/06\/us\/fake-news-partisan-republican-democrat.html). *The New York Times*. p. A1. \"Narrowly defined, 'fake news' means a made-up story with an intention to deceive, often geared toward getting clicks.\"\n12. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-12)**\n    Chen, Adrian (July 27, 2016). [\"The Real Paranoia-Inducing Purpose of Russian Hacks\"](https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/news-desk\/the-real-paranoia-inducing-purpose-of-russian-hacks). *The New Yorker*.\n13. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:4_13-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:4_13-1)\n    Tynan, Dan (August 24, 2016). [\"How Facebook powers money machines for obscure political 'news' sites\"](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2016\/aug\/24\/facebook-clickbait-political-news-sites-us-election-trump). *the Guardian*. Retrieved April 13, 2018.\n14. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-14)**\n    Gilbert, Ben. [\"Fed up with fake news, Facebook users are solving the problem with a simple list\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/facebook-users-crowdsource-fake-news-document-2016-11). *Business Insider*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n15. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-Inc.com_15-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-Inc.com_15-1)\n    Townsend, Tess (November 22, 2016). [\"The Bizarre Truth Behind the Biggest Pro-Trump Facebook Hoaxes\"](http:\/\/www.inc.com\/tess-townsend\/ending-fed-trump-facebook.html). *Inc.com*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n16. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-3) [***e***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-4) [***f***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-5) [***g***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-6)\n    Sydell, Laura (November 23, 2016). [\"We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned\"](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/alltechconsidered\/2016\/11\/23\/503146770\/npr-finds-the-head-of-a-covert-fake-news-operation-in-the-suburbs). *[All Things Considered](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All_Things_Considered \"All Things Considered\")*. [NPR](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NPR \"NPR\"). Retrieved November 26, 2016.\n17. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-17)**\n    [\"Probe reveals stunning stats about fake election headlines on Facebook\"](https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/facebook-fake-election-news-more-popular-than-real-news-buzzfeed-investigation\/). *CBS News*. November 17, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n18. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-18)**\n    Mikkelson, David (November 10, 2013). [\"FACT CHECK: Is This a Photograph of a 12-Week Fetus?\"](https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/fact-check\/baby-boon\/). *Snopes*. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n19. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-2)\n    Kiely, Eugene; Robertson, Lori (November 18, 2016). [\"How to Spot Fake News – FactCheck.org\"](https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2016\/11\/how-to-spot-fake-news\/). *FactCheck.org*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n20. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-20)**\n    Crookes, David (2014). \"Clickbait\". *Web User*. No. 354. pp. 36–37\\.\n    \n    [ProQuest](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ProQuest \"ProQuest\") [1581413325](https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/docview\/1581413325).\n21. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-21)**\n    de la Merced, Michael J.; Goldstein, Matthew (July 14, 2015). [\"Twitter Shares Jump After Faked Bloomberg Report\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/07\/15\/business\/dealbook\/twitter-shares-jump-after-fake-bloomberg-report.html). *The New York Times*.\n22. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-22)**\n    Kokalitcheva, Kia. [\"Fake Bloomberg News Report Drives Twitter Stock Up 8%\"](http:\/\/fortune.com\/2015\/07\/14\/fake-twitter-bloomberg-report\/). *Fortune*. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n23. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-23)**\n    Ball, James; Judge, Danny. [\"Fake News Site Uses Stephen Hawking To Sell Get-Rich-Quick Scheme\"](https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/jamesball\/fake-news-site-uses-professor-stephen-hawking-to-sell-get-ri). *BuzzFeed*. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n24. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-24)**\n    Scialom, Mike (January 19, 2017). [\"Faking it: Unravelling a fake news story involving Stephen Hawking\"](http:\/\/www.cambridge-news.co.uk\/business\/business-news\/faking-it-unravelling-fake-news-12468676). *cambridgenews*. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n25. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-columbia_25-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-columbia_25-1)\n    Murtha, Jack (May 26, 2016). [\"How fake news sites frequently trick big-time journalists\"](https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/analysis\/how_fake_news_sites_frequently_trick_big-time_journalists.php). *[Columbia Journalism Review](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Columbia_Journalism_Review \"Columbia Journalism Review\")*. Retrieved October 3, 2017.\n26. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-26)**\n    Woody, Christopher (July 9, 2016). [\"Mexico's government shut down rumors of 'El Chapo' Guzmán's escape with this one photo\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/el-chapo-escape-rumors-mexican-government-photo-2016-7). [Business Insider](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Business_Insider \"Business Insider\").\n27. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-27)**\n    Lubbers, Eric (November 5, 2016). [\"There is no such thing as the Denver Guardian, despite that Facebook post you saw\"](http:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2016\/11\/05\/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-denver-guardian\/). *[The Denver Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Denver_Post \"The Denver Post\")*.\n28. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-28)**\n    \"Typosquatting\". *VARbusiness*. **22** (21): 28. October 16, 2006.\n    \n    [ProQuest](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ProQuest \"ProQuest\") [194170227](https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/docview\/194170227).\n29. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-29)**\n    Weise, Elizabeth (December 1, 2016). [\"Hackers use typosquatting to dupe the unwary with fake news, sites\"](https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/news\/2016\/12\/01\/hackers-use-typo-squatting-lure-unwary-url-hijacking\/94683460\/). *USA Today*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n30. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-30)**\n    [\"Video: Websites Fake Credentials to Help People Get Hired\"](https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/2020\/video\/websites-fake-credentials-people-hired-24136909). *ABC News*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n31. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-31)**\n    Editorial Board (November 12, 2019). [\"Editorial: Google banned 7 Trump ads but it won't say why. That's wrong\"](https:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/opinion\/editorials\/story\/2019-11-12\/google-trump-political-ads-facebook-youtube). *San Diego Union-Tribune*. Retrieved June 15, 2021.\n32. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-32)**\n    Bunis, Dena. [\"Get Ready For the Start of the 2020 Election\"](https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/politics-society\/government-elections\/info-2020\/overview.html). *AARP*. **61** (1): 6.\n33. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-33)**\n    Deagon, Brian (February 21, 2020). [\"Fake News In 2020 Election Puts Social Media Companies Under Siege\"](https:\/\/www.investors.com\/news\/technology\/fake-news-2020-election-puts-social-media-companies-under-siege\/). *Investor's Business Daily*.\n    \n    [ProQuest](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ProQuest \"ProQuest\") [2359659273](https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/docview\/2359659273).\n34. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-34)**\n    Cindy L., Otis (July 19, 2019). [\"Americans could be a bigger fake news threat than Russians in the 2020 presidential campaign\"](https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2019\/07\/19\/disinformation-attacks-americans-threaten-2020-election-column\/1756092001\/). *USA Today*.\n35. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-35)**\n    Holan, Angie Drobnic (December 13, 2016). [\"2016 Lie of the Year: Fake news\"](http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/truth-o-meter\/article\/2016\/dec\/13\/2016-lie-year-fake-news\/). *PolitiFact*. Retrieved September 13, 2020.\n36. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:12_36-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:12_36-1)\n    Allcott, Hunt; Gentzkow, Matthew (Spring 2017). 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[\"N.C. man told police he went to D.C. pizzeria with gun to investigate conspiracy theory\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/local\/wp\/2016\/12\/04\/d-c-police-respond-to-report-of-a-man-with-a-gun-at-comet-ping-pong-restaurant\/). *The Washington Post*.\n59. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-Fox_59-0)**\n    [\"Man with rifle arrested at DC restaurant targeted by fake news conspiracy theories\"](https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/man-with-rifle-arrested-at-dc-restaurant-targeted-by-fake-news-conspiracy-theories). *Fox News*. December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.\n60. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-60)**\n    Kang, Cecilia (November 21, 2016). 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[\"This 'Conservative News Site' Trended on Facebook, Showed Up on Fox News—and Duped the World\"](http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2016\/10\/28\/the-man-who-duped-trumpkins-fox-news.html). [The Daily Beast](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Daily_Beast \"The Daily Beast\"). 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It's Way Too Easy to Dupe the Right on the Internet\"](http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2016\/11\/21\/i-ve-been-making-viral-fake-news-for-the-last-six-months-it-s-way-too-easy-to-dupe-the-right-on-the-internet.html). [The Daily Beast](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Daily_Beast \"The Daily Beast\"). Retrieved November 27, 2016.\n66. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-bambury_66-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-bambury_66-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-bambury_66-2)\n    [Bambury, Brent](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brent_Bambury \"Brent Bambury\") (November 25, 2016). 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Retrieved September 13, 2020.\n71. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-71)**\n    Evon, Dan. [\"FACT CHECK: Did Mia Khalifa 'Expose' Ajit Pai After He 'Slid Into Her DMs'?\"](https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/fact-check\/mia-khalifa-fcc-commissioner-dms\/). *Snopes.com*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n72. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-72)**\n    Wile, Rob. [\"The founders of the hottest fake news site in America swear they're not trying to fool anyone\"](https:\/\/splinternews.com\/the-founders-of-the-hottest-fake-news-site-in-america-s-1793849240). *Splinter*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n73. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-wapo14november2016_73-0)**\n    Bump, Philip (November 14, 2016). 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[\"Google and Facebook Use Ad Policies to Take Aim at Fake News Sites\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/15\/technology\/google-will-ban-websites-that-host-fake-news-from-using-its-ad-service.html). *The New York Times*. p. B.1.\n    \n    [ProQuest](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ProQuest \"ProQuest\") [1838917508](https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/docview\/1838917508).\n76. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-thehollywoodreporter_76-0)**\n    [\"Facebook Fake News Writer Reveals How He Tricked Trump Supporters and Possibly Influenced Election\"](http:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/facebook-fake-news-writer-president-donald-trump-win-948218). *[The Hollywood Reporter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Hollywood_Reporter \"The Hollywood Reporter\")*. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.\n77. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-nathanmcalone_77-0)**\n    McAlone, Nathan (November 17, 2016). [\"This fake-news writer says he makes over \\$10,000 a month, and he thinks he helped get Trump elected\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/fake-news-writer-paul-horner-thinks-he-got-trump-elected-2016-11). [Business Insider](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Business_Insider \"Business Insider\"). Retrieved November 18, 2016.\n78. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-theplaindealer_78-0)**\n    Goist, Robin (November 17, 2016). [\"The fake news of Facebook\"](http:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/open\/index.ssf\/2016\/11\/obama_urges_trump_not_to_cut_d.html). *[The Plain Dealer](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Plain_Dealer \"The Plain Dealer\")*. Cleveland. Retrieved November 18, 2016.\n79. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-fakenewswriter_79-0)**\n    Dewey, Caitlin (November 17, 2016). [\"Facebook fake-news writer: 'I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me'\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/the-intersect\/wp\/2016\/11\/17\/facebook-fake-news-writer-i-think-donald-trump-is-in-the-white-house-because-of-me\/). *The Washington Post*.\n80. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-hedegaard_80-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-hedegaard_80-1)\n    Hedegaard, Erik (November 29, 2016). [\"How a Fake Newsman Accidentally Helped Trump Win the White House – Paul Horner thought he was trolling Trump supporters – but after the election, the joke was on him\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20171228141152\/https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/news\/how-a-fake-newsman-accidentally-helped-trump-win-white-house-w452488). *[Rolling Stone](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rolling_Stone \"Rolling Stone\")*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/news\/how-a-fake-newsman-accidentally-helped-trump-win-white-house-w452488) on December 28, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2016.\n81. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-nytimes2017_81-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-nytimes2017_81-1)\n    Shane, Scott (January 18, 2017). [\"From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/01\/18\/us\/fake-news-hillary-clinton-cameron-harris.html). *The New York Times*.\n82. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-82)**\n    [\"BREAKING: \"Tens of thousands\" of fraudulent Clinton votes found in Ohio warehouse – Christian Times Newspaper\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20161002195543\/http:\/\/christiantimesnewspaper.com\/breaking-tens-of-thousands-of-fraudulent-clinton-votes-found-in-ohio-warehouse\/). October 2, 2016. Archived from [the original](http:\/\/christiantimesnewspaper.com\/breaking-tens-of-thousands-of-fraudulent-clinton-votes-found-in-ohio-warehouse\/) on October 2, 2016.\n83. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-83)**\n    Paulson, Dave (June 30, 2016). [\"Sorry, Forrest Gump 2 NOT filming in Brentwood\"](http:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/2016\/06\/30\/sorry-forrest-gump-2-not-filming-brentwood\/86544764\/). *[The Tennessean](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Tennessean \"The Tennessean\")*. Retrieved January 19, 2017.\n84. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-84)**\n    [\"Cruci-no: New 'Harry Potter' movie will not be filmed in Arizona\"](http:\/\/ktar.com\/story\/1124229\/cruci-no-new-harry-potter-movie-will-not-be-filmed-in-arizona\/). KTAR News. June 20, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.\n85. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-85)**\n    Cataldo, Laurie (June 14, 2016). [\"'The Notebook 2′ Not Filming in Atlantic City…or Anywhere Else Read More: 'The Notebook 2' Not Filming in Atlantic City...or Anywhere Else\"](http:\/\/943thepoint.com\/the-notebook-2-not-filming-in-atlantic-city-or-anywhere-else\/). 94.3 The Point. Retrieved January 19, 2017.\n86. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-86)**\n    [\"IsItFakeNews.com\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20181106192745\/https:\/\/isitfakenews.com\/site\/kmt11.com). *isitfakenews.com*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/isitfakenews.com\/site\/kmt11.com) on November 6, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n87. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:0_87-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:0_87-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:0_87-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:0_87-3)\n    Romano, Aja (November 16, 2016). [\"The scariest part of Facebook's fake news problem: fake news is more viral than real news\"](https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2016\/11\/16\/13626318\/viral-fake-news-on-facebook). [Vox](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vox_\$website\$ \"Vox (website)\"). Retrieved April 13, 2017.\n88. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-88)**\n    Carter, Christine Michel. [\"How Consumer Brands- And America- Can Prepare Themselves For Generation Alpha\"](https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/christinecarter\/2019\/12\/09\/how-consumer-brandsand-americacan-prepare-themselves-for-generation-alpha\/). *Forbes*. Retrieved June 20, 2023.\n89. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-2)\n    Donald, Brooke (November 21, 2016). [\"Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online\"](https:\/\/ed.stanford.edu\/news\/stanford-researchers-find-students-have-trouble-judging-credibility-information-online). Stanford University. Retrieved April 14, 2017.\n90. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:2_90-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:2_90-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:2_90-2)\n    Boyd, Sophia Alvarez. [\"5 Ways Teachers Are Fighting Fake News\"](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/ed\/2017\/02\/16\/514364210\/5-ways-teachers-are-fighting-fake-news). [NPR](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NPR \"NPR\"). Retrieved April 14, 2017.\n91. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-91)**\n    Bedley, Scott. [\"I taught my 5th-graders how to spot fake news. Now they won't stop fact-checking me\"](https:\/\/www.vox.com\/first-person\/2017\/3\/29\/15042692\/fake-news-education-election). *Vox*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n92. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-92)**\n    Siddique, Haroon (March 18, 2017). [\"Teach schoolchildren how to spot fake news, says OECD\"](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2017\/mar\/18\/teach-schoolchildren-spot-fake-news-says-oecd). *the Guardian*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n93. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-93)**\n    Weller, Chris. [\"This education startup is teaching kids how to spot fake news\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/newsela-teaches-kids-how-to-spot-fake-news-2017-1). *Business Insider*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n94. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:3_94-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:3_94-1)\n    Jamieson, Amber; Solon, Olivia (December 15, 2016). [\"Facebook to begin flagging fake news in response to mounting criticism\"](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2016\/dec\/15\/facebook-flag-fake-news-fact-check). *the Guardian*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n95. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-95)**\n    [\"Facebook's 'Fake News' Initiative\"](https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2016\/12\/facebooks-fake-news-initiative\/). *FactCheck.org*. December 22, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n96. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-96)**\n    Lee, Timothy B. [\"Facebook's fake news problem, explained\"](https:\/\/www.vox.com\/new-money\/2016\/11\/16\/13637310\/facebook-fake-news-explained). *Vox*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n97. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-97)**\n    Phillips, Kristine (January 22, 2018). [\"Facebook admits social media sometimes harms democracy\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/the-switch\/wp\/2018\/01\/22\/facebook-admits-it-sometimes-harms-democracy\/). *The Washington Post*.\n98. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-98)**\n    Marchi, Regina (October 3, 2012). [\"With Facebook, Blogs, and Fake News, Teens Reject Journalistic 'Objectivity'\"](https:\/\/scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu\/esploro\/outputs\/journalArticle\/With-Facebook-blogs-and-fake-news\/991031619048804646). *Journal of Communication Inquiry*. **36** (3): 246–262\\. [doi](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_\$identifier\$ \"Doi (identifier)\"):[10\\.1177\/0196859912458700](https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177%2F0196859912458700). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [145374582](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:145374582).\n99. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-99)**\n    [\"PolitiFact's guide to fake news websites\"](http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/punditfact\/article\/2017\/apr\/20\/politifacts-guide-fake-news-websites-and-what-they\/). *PunditFact*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n100. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-3)\n     Miller, Kevin (December 1, 2016). [\"Angus King: Russian involvement in U.S. election 'an arrow aimed at the heart of democracy'\"](http:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2016\/12\/01\/sen-king-russian-involvement-in-u-s-election-an-arrow-aimed-at-the-heart-of-democracy\/). *[Portland Press Herald](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portland_Press_Herald \"Portland Press Herald\")*. Retrieved December 2, 2016.\n101. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-kingamong_101-0)**\n     [\"Angus King among senators asking president to declassify information about Russia and election\"](http:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2016\/11\/30\/angus-king-among-senators-asking-president-to-declassify-information-about-russia-and-election\/). *[Portland Press Herald](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portland_Press_Herald \"Portland Press Herald\")*. November 20, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.\n102. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-hackingdeclassified_102-0)**\n     Jim Sciutto; Manu Raju (December 3, 2016). [\"Democrats want Russian hacking intelligence declassified\"](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2016\/12\/02\/politics\/democrats-russian-hacking-intelligence\/). [CNN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CNN \"CNN\"). Retrieved December 3, 2016.\n103. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-3) [***e***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-4) [***f***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-5) [***g***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-6)\n     Timberg, Craig (November 30, 2016). [\"Effort to combat foreign propaganda advances in Congress\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/economy\/effort-to-combat-foreign-propaganda-advances-in-congress\/2016\/11\/30\/9147e1ac-e221-47be-ab92-9f2f7e69d452_story.html). *The Washington Post*.\n104. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-3) [***e***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-4)\n     Demirjian, Karoun (December 8, 2016). [\"Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump's stance\"](http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/nationworld\/politics\/ct-senate-probe-russia-trump-20161208-story.html). *[Chicago Tribune](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chicago_Tribune \"Chicago Tribune\")*. [The Washington Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Washington_Post \"The Washington Post\"). Retrieved December 10, 2016.\n105. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-105)**\n     [\"FTC Permanently Stops Fake News Website Operator that Allegedly Deceived Consumers about Acai Berry Weight-Loss Products\"](https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/press-releases\/2013\/02\/ftc-permanently-stops-fake-news-website-operator-allegedly). *Federal Trade Commission*. February 7, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n106. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-106)**\n     [\"TC Reaches \\$1.6 Million Settlement with Beony \\| MLM Law\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190325134127\/https:\/\/www.mlmlaw.com\/ftc-concludes-crackdown-on-fake-news-sites-with-1-6-million-beony-settlements\/). *www.mlmlaw.com*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.mlmlaw.com\/ftc-concludes-crackdown-on-fake-news-sites-with-1-6-million-beony-settlements\/) on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2018.\n107. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-3) [***e***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-4) [***f***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-5)\n     Schindler, John R. (November 5, 2015). [\"Obama Fails to Fight Putin's Propaganda Machine\"](https:\/\/observer.com\/2015\/11\/obama-fails-to-fight-putins-propaganda-machine\/). *Observer*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n108. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:7_108-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:7_108-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:7_108-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:7_108-3)\n     Schindler, John R. (November 26, 2016). [\"The Kremlin Didn't Sink Hillary—Obama Did\"](https:\/\/observer.com\/2016\/11\/the-kremlin-didnt-sink-hillary-obama-did\/). *Observer*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n109. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-109)**\n     LoGiurato, Brett. [\"Russia's Propaganda Channel Just Got A Journalism Lesson From The US State Department\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/state-department-responds-rt-russia-today-john-kerry-2014-4). *Business Insider*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n110. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-110)**\n     LoGiurato, Brett. [\"RT Is Very Upset With John Kerry For Blasting Them As Putin's 'Propaganda Bullhorn'\"](http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/john-kerry-rt-propaganda-bullhorn-russia-today-2014-4). *Business Insider*. Retrieved April 17, 2018.\n\n## Further reading\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=34 \"Edit section: Further reading\")\\]\n\n[![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/2\/24\/Wikinews-logo.svg\/40px-Wikinews-logo.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Wikinews-logo.svg)\n\nWikinews has related news:\n\n- [Wikinews investigates: Advertisements disguised as news articles trick unknowing users out of money, credit card information](https:\/\/en.wikinews.org\/wiki\/Wikinews_investigates:_Advertisements_disguised_as_news_articles_trick_unknowing_users_out_of_money,_credit_card_information \"wikinews:Wikinews investigates: Advertisements disguised as news articles trick unknowing users out of money, credit card information\")\n\n- [Chris Hedges](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chris_Hedges \"Chris Hedges\") (December 18, 2016). [\"'Fake News': Homegrown, and Far From New\"](https:\/\/www.truthdig.com\/articles\/fake-news-in-america-homegrown-and-far-from-new\/). [Truthdig](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Truthdig \"Truthdig\").\n- Jamie Condliffe (November 15, 2016). [\"Facebook's Fake-News Ad Ban Is Not Enough\"](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2016\/11\/15\/156014\/facebooks-fake-news-ad-ban-is-not-enough\/). [MIT Technology Review](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/MIT_Technology_Review \"MIT Technology Review\").\n- Cassandra Jaramillo (November 15, 2016). [\"How to break it to your friends and family that they're sharing fake news\"](https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/2017\/11\/17\/how-to-break-it-to-your-friends-and-family-that-they-re-sharing-fake-news\/). *[The Dallas Morning News](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Dallas_Morning_News \"The Dallas Morning News\")*.\n- [Craig Silverman](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Craig_Silverman \"Craig Silverman\"); Lawrence Alexander (November 3, 2016). [\"How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News\"](https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/craigsilverman\/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo). [BuzzFeed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BuzzFeed \"BuzzFeed\").\n- Ishmael N. Daro; [Craig Silverman](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Craig_Silverman \"Craig Silverman\") (November 15, 2016). [\"Fake News Sites Are Not Terribly Worried About Google Kicking Them Off AdSense\"](https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/ishmaeldaro\/fake-news-sites-adsense). [BuzzFeed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BuzzFeed \"BuzzFeed\").\n- Craig Silverman (November 16, 2016). [\"Viral Fake Election News Outperformed Real News On Facebook In Final Months Of The US Election\"](https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/craigsilverman\/viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-on-facebook). [BuzzFeed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BuzzFeed \"BuzzFeed\").\n- Taylor, Adam (November 26, 2016). [\"Before 'fake news,' there was Soviet 'disinformation'\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/worldviews\/wp\/2016\/11\/26\/before-fake-news-there-was-soviet-disinformation). *The Washington Post*.\n- Andrew Weisburd; [Clint Watts](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clint_Watts \"Clint Watts\"); [J.M. Berger](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/J.M._Berger \"J.M. Berger\") (November 6, 2016). [\"Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy\"](http:\/\/warontherocks.com\/2016\/11\/trolling-for-trump-how-russia-is-trying-to-destroy-our-democracy\/). War on the Rocks.\n- Elizabeth Schumacher (January 4, 2018). [\"Fake news 'casts wide net but has little effect'\"](http:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/fake-news-casts-wide-net-but-has-little-effect\/a-42029486). [Deutsche Welle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deutsche_Welle \"Deutsche Welle\").\n- [Dominick Sokotoff](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Dominick_Sokotoff&action=edit&redlink=1 \"Dominick Sokotoff (page does not exist)\"); Katherina Sourine (November 1, 2019). [\"Pseudo local news sites reveal nationally expanding network\"](https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/community-affairs\/pseudo-local-news-sites-michigan-reveal-nationally-expanding-network\/). *[The Michigan Daily](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Michigan_Daily \"The Michigan Daily\")*.\n- Lazer, David M. J.; Baum, Matthew A.; Benkler, Yochai; Berinsky, Adam J.; Greenhill, Kelly M.; Menczer, Filippo; Metzger, Miriam J.; Nyhan, Brendan; Pennycook, Gordon; Rothschild, David; Schudson, Michael; Sloman, Steven A.; Sunstein, Cass R.; Thorson, Emily A.; Watts, Duncan J.; Zittrain, Jonathan L. (March 9, 2018). \"The science of fake news\". *Science*. **359** (6380): 1094–1096\\. [arXiv](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ArXiv_\$identifier\$ \"ArXiv (identifier)\"):[2307\\.07903](https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2307.07903). [Bibcode](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bibcode_\$identifier\$ \"Bibcode (identifier)\"):[2018Sci...359.1094L](https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/2018Sci...359.1094L). [doi](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_\$identifier\$ \"Doi (identifier)\"):[10\\.1126\/science.aao2998](https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126%2Fscience.aao2998). [PMID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PMID_\$identifier\$ \"PMID (identifier)\") [29590025](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29590025). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [4410672](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:4410672).\n- Shu, Kai; Sliva, Amy; Wang, Suhang; Tang, Jiliang; Liu, Huan (September 2017). \"Fake News Detection on Social Media\". *ACM SIGKDD Explorations Newsletter*. **19** (1): 22–36\\. [doi](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_\$identifier\$ \"Doi (identifier)\"):[10\\.1145\/3137597.3137600](https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145%2F3137597.3137600). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [207718082](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:207718082).\n- Tandoc, Edson C.; Lim, Zheng Wei; Ling, Richard (August 30, 2017). \"Defining 'Fake News'\". *Digital Journalism*. **6** (2): 137–153\\. [doi](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_\$identifier\$ \"Doi (identifier)\"):[10\\.1080\/21670811.2017.1360143](https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080%2F21670811.2017.1360143). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [158143268](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:158143268).\n- Guess, Andrew; Nyhan, Brenden; Reifler, Jason (2018). Selective Exposure to Misinformation: Evidence from the Consumption of Fake News during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign (Report). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [158536258](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:158536258).\n- Pennycook, Gordon; Rand, David G. (July 2019). \"Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning\". *Cognition*. **188**: 39–50\\. [doi](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_\$identifier\$ \"Doi (identifier)\"):[10\\.1016\/j.cognition.2018.06.011](https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016%2Fj.cognition.2018.06.011). [PMID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PMID_\$identifier\$ \"PMID (identifier)\") [29935897](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29935897). [S2CID](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S2CID_\$identifier\$ \"S2CID (identifier)\") [49418191](https:\/\/api.semanticscholar.org\/CorpusID:49418191). [SSRN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/SSRN_\$identifier\$ \"SSRN (identifier)\") [3165567](https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3165567).\n- Paula Span (September 11, 2020), [\"Getting Wise to Fake News\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/11\/health\/misinformation-social-media-elderly.html), *The New York Times*, \"Older adults are particularly vulnerable to misinformation on social media\"\n\n## External links\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=35 \"Edit section: External links\")\\]\n\n[![](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/99\/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg\/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg)\n\nLook up ***[spamvertise](https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/spamvertise \"wiktionary:spamvertise\")*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.\n\n- Kim LaCapria (November 2, 2016). [\"Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors\"](https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/news\/2016\/01\/14\/fake-news-sites\/). [Snopes.com](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Snopes.com \"Snopes.com\").\n- Rachel Dicker (November 14, 2016). [\"Avoid These Fake News Sites at All Costs\"](https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/national-news\/articles\/2016-11-14\/avoid-these-fake-news-sites-at-all-costs). *[U.S. News & World Report](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/U.S._News_%26_World_Report \"U.S. News & World Report\")*.\n- Lori Robertson; Eugene Kiely (November 18, 2016). [\"How to Spot Fake News\"](http:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2016\/11\/how-to-spot-fake-news\/). *[FactCheck.org](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FactCheck.org \"FactCheck.org\")*. [Annenberg Public Policy Center](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Annenberg_Public_Policy_Center \"Annenberg Public Policy Center\").\n- Jared Keller (November 19, 2016). [\"This Critique of Fake Election News Is a Must-Read for All Democracy Lovers\"](https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2016\/11\/meet-professor-of-fake-news-facebook). *[Mother Jones](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mother_Jones_\$magazine\$ \"Mother Jones (magazine)\")*.\n- Lance Ulanoff (November 18, 2016). [\"7 signs the news you're sharing is fake\"](http:\/\/mashable.com\/2016\/11\/17\/6-signs-of-fake-news). [Mashable](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mashable \"Mashable\").\n- Laura Hautala (November 19, 2016). [\"How to avoid getting conned by fake news sites – Here's how you can identify and avoid sites that just want to serve up ads next to outright falsehoods\"](https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/news\/how-to-avoid-getting-conned-by-fake-news-sites\/). [CNET](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CNET \"CNET\").\n- [Sreenivasan, Hari](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hari_Sreenivasan \"Hari Sreenivasan\") (November 17, 2016). [*How online hoaxes and fake news played a role in the election*](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tW-dg_IU3uM). *[PBS NewsHour](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PBS_NewsHour \"PBS NewsHour\")* – via YouTube.\n\n| [v](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template:Media_manipulation \"Template:Media manipulation\") [t](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template_talk:Media_manipulation \"Template talk:Media manipulation\") [e](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:EditPage\/Template:Media_manipulation \"Special:EditPage\/Template:Media manipulation\")[Media manipulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_manipulation \"Media manipulation\") |   |\n|---|---|\n| Context | [Bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_bias \"Media bias\") [Crowd psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crowd_psychology \"Crowd psychology\") [Deception](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deception \"Deception\") [Dumbing down](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dumbing_down \"Dumbing down\") [False balance](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_balance \"False balance\") [Half-truths](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Half-truth \"Half-truth\") [Media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mass_media \"Mass media\") [Obfuscation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Obfuscation \"Obfuscation\") [Persuasion](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Persuasion \"Persuasion\") [Manipulation (psychology)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manipulation_\$psychology\$ \"Manipulation (psychology)\") |\n| [Activism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Activism \"Activism\") | [Advocacy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Advocacy \"Advocacy\") [group](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Advocacy_group \"Advocacy group\") [Alternative media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alternative_media \"Alternative media\") [Boycott](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boycott \"Boycott\") [Call-out culture](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Call-out_culture \"Call-out culture\") [Cancel culture](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cancel_culture \"Cancel culture\") [Civil disobedience](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Civil_disobedience \"Civil disobedience\") [Culture jamming](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Culture_jamming \"Culture jamming\") [Demonstrations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_demonstration \"Political demonstration\") [Deplatforming](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deplatforming \"Deplatforming\") [Grassroots](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Grassroots \"Grassroots\") [Guerrilla communication](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guerrilla_communication \"Guerrilla communication\") [Hacktivism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hacktivism \"Hacktivism\") [Internet](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_activism \"Internet activism\") [Media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_activism \"Media activism\") [Occupations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Occupation_\$protest\$ \"Occupation (protest)\") [Petitions](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Petition \"Petition\") [Protests](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protest \"Protest\") [Youth](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Youth_activism \"Youth activism\") |\n| [Advertising](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Advertising \"Advertising\") | [Advertorial](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Advertorial \"Advertorial\")\/[Native advertising](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Native_advertising \"Native advertising\") [Billboards](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billboard \"Billboard\") [False](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_advertising \"False advertising\") [Infomercials](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Infomercial \"Infomercial\") [Mobiles](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mobile_marketing \"Mobile marketing\") [Modeling](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Promotional_model \"Promotional model\") [Radio](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Radio_advertisement \"Radio advertisement\") [Sex](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sex_in_advertising \"Sex in advertising\") [Slogans](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Advertising_slogan \"Advertising slogan\") [Testimonials](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Testimonial \"Testimonial\") [TV](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Television_advertisement \"Television advertisement\") [Criticism of advertising](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Criticism_of_advertising \"Criticism of advertising\") [Annoyance factor](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Annoyance_factor \"Annoyance factor\") |\n| [Censorship](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Censorship \"Censorship\") and   [mass media regulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mass_media_regulation \"Mass media regulation\") | [Books](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Book_censorship \"Book censorship\") [Broadcast law](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Broadcast_law \"Broadcast law\") [Burying of scholars](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars \"Burning of books and burying of scholars\") [Catch and kill](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Catch_and_kill \"Catch and kill\") [Corporate](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Corporate_censorship \"Corporate censorship\") [Cover-ups](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cover-up \"Cover-up\") [Euphemism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Euphemism \"Euphemism\") [Films](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Film_censorship \"Film censorship\") [Historical negationism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Historical_negationism \"Historical negationism\") [Internet](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_censorship \"Internet censorship\") [Political](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_censorship \"Political censorship\") [Religious](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Religious_censorship \"Religious censorship\") [Self](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Self-censorship \"Self-censorship\") |\n| [Hoaxing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hoax \"Hoax\") | [Alternative facts](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alternative_facts \"Alternative facts\") [April Fools'](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/April_Fools%27_Day \"April Fools' Day\") [Deepfake](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deepfake \"Deepfake\") [audio](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Audio_deepfake \"Audio deepfake\") [Fake news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news \"Fake news\") [websites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website \"Fake news website\") [Fakelore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fakelore \"Fakelore\") [Fictitious entries](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fictitious_entry \"Fictitious entry\") [Firehose of falsehood](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Firehose_of_falsehood \"Firehose of falsehood\") [Forgery](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Forgery \"Forgery\") [Gaslighting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gaslighting \"Gaslighting\") [List](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_hoaxes \"List of hoaxes\") [Literary](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Literary_forgery \"Literary forgery\") [Lying press](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lying_press \"Lying press\") [Photograph manipulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Photograph_manipulation \"Photograph manipulation\") [Racial](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Racial_hoax \"Racial hoax\") [Urban legend](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Urban_legends_and_myths \"Urban legends and myths\") [Virus](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Virus_hoax \"Virus hoax\") [Video manipulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Video_manipulation \"Video manipulation\") |\n| [Marketing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing \"Marketing\") | [Branding](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brand \"Brand\") [Loyalty](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Loyalty_marketing \"Loyalty marketing\") [Product](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Product_marketing \"Product marketing\") [Product placement](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Product_placement \"Product placement\") [Publicity](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Publicity \"Publicity\") [Research](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Market_research \"Market research\") [Word of mouth](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Word-of-mouth_marketing \"Word-of-mouth marketing\") |\n| [News media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_media \"News media\") | [Agenda-setting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Agenda-setting_theory \"Agenda-setting theory\") [Broadcasting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_broadcasting \"News broadcasting\") [Circus](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_circus \"Media circus\") [Cycle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/24-hour_news_cycle \"24-hour news cycle\") [Emotive conjugation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Emotive_conjugation \"Emotive conjugation\") [False balance](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_balance \"False balance\") [Infotainment](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Infotainment \"Infotainment\") [Managing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Managing_the_news \"Managing the news\") [Narcotizing dysfunction](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Narcotizing_dysfunction \"Narcotizing dysfunction\") [Newspeak](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Newspeak \"Newspeak\") [Pseudo-event](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_event \"Media event\") [Scrum](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_scrum \"Media scrum\") [Sensationalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sensationalism \"Sensationalism\") [Tabloid journalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tabloid_journalism \"Tabloid journalism\") |\n| [Political campaigning](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_campaign \"Political campaign\") | [Advertising](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Campaign_advertising \"Campaign advertising\") [Astroturfing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Astroturfing \"Astroturfing\") [Attack ad](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attack_ad \"Attack ad\") [Canvassing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canvassing \"Canvassing\") [Character assassination](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Character_assassination \"Character assassination\") [Dog whistle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dog_whistle_\$politics\$ \"Dog whistle (politics)\") [Election promises](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Election_promise \"Election promise\") [Lawn signs](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lawn_sign \"Lawn sign\") [Party platforms (or manifestos)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Party_platform \"Party platform\") [Name recognition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Name_recognition \"Name recognition\") [Negative](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Negative_campaigning \"Negative campaigning\") [Push polling](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Push_poll \"Push poll\") [Smear campaign](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Smear_campaign \"Smear campaign\") [Wedge issue](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wedge_issue \"Wedge issue\") |\n| [Propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda \"Propaganda\") | [Bandwagon](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bandwagon_effect \"Bandwagon effect\") [Big lie](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Big_lie \"Big lie\") [Crowd manipulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crowd_manipulation \"Crowd manipulation\") [Disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") [Fearmongering](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fearmongering \"Fearmongering\") [Framing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Framing_\$social_sciences\$ \"Framing (social sciences)\") [Indoctrination](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indoctrination \"Indoctrination\") [Loaded language](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Loaded_language \"Loaded language\") [National mythology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_myth \"National myth\") [Rally 'round the flag effect](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rally_%27round_the_flag_effect \"Rally 'round the flag effect\") [Techniques](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda_techniques \"Propaganda techniques\") |\n| [Psychological warfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Psychological_warfare \"Psychological warfare\") | [Airborne leaflets](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda \"Airborne leaflet propaganda\") [False flag](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_flag \"False flag\") [Fifth column](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fifth_column \"Fifth column\") [Information (IT)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information_warfare \"Information warfare\") [Lawfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lawfare \"Lawfare\") [Political](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_warfare \"Political warfare\") [Public diplomacy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_diplomacy \"Public diplomacy\") [Sedition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sedition \"Sedition\") [Subversion](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Subversion \"Subversion\") |\n| [Public relations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_relations \"Public relations\") | [Cult of personality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cult_of_personality \"Cult of personality\") [Doublespeak](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doublespeak \"Doublespeak\") [Non-apology apology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Non-apology_apology \"Non-apology apology\") [Reputation management](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reputation_management \"Reputation management\") [Slogans](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slogan \"Slogan\") [Sound bites](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sound_bite \"Sound bite\") [Spin](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spin_\$propaganda\$ \"Spin (propaganda)\") [Transfer](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Transfer_\$propaganda\$ \"Transfer (propaganda)\") [Understatement](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Understatement \"Understatement\") [Weasel words](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Weasel_word \"Weasel word\") [Corporate propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Corporate_propaganda \"Corporate propaganda\") |\n| [Sales](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales \"Sales\") | [Cold calling](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cold_calling \"Cold calling\") [Door-to-door](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Door-to-door \"Door-to-door\") [Pricing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pricing \"Pricing\") [Product demonstrations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Product_demonstration \"Product demonstration\") [Promotion](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales_promotion \"Sales promotion\") [Spaving](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spaving \"Spaving\") [Promotional merchandise](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Promotional_merchandise \"Promotional merchandise\") [Telemarketing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Telemarketing \"Telemarketing\") |\n| Related | [Influence-for-hire](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Influence-for-hire \"Influence-for-hire\") [Media bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_bias \"Media bias\") [United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_bias_in_the_United_States \"Media bias in the United States\") [Media concentration](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Concentration_of_media_ownership \"Concentration of media ownership\") [Media democracy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_democracy \"Media democracy\") [Media ecology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_ecology \"Media ecology\") [Media ethics](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_ethics \"Media ethics\") [Media franchise](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_franchise \"Media franchise\") [Media influence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Influence_of_mass_media \"Influence of mass media\") [Media proprietor](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_proprietor \"Media proprietor\") |\n\n| [v](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template:Military_deception \"Template:Military deception\") [t](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template_talk:Military_deception \"Template talk:Military deception\") [e](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:EditPage\/Template:Military_deception \"Special:EditPage\/Template:Military deception\")[Military deception](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Military_deception \"Military deception\") |   |\n|---|---|\n| Techniques | [Denial and deception](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denial_and_deception \"Denial and deception\") [Disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") [False flag](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_flag \"False flag\") [Information warfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information_warfare \"Information warfare\") *[Maskirovka](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_military_deception \"Russian military deception\")* [Military camouflage](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Military_camouflage \"Military camouflage\") [Psychological warfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Psychological_warfare \"Psychological warfare\") *[Ruse de guerre](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ruse_de_guerre \"Ruse de guerre\")* |\n| Equipment | [Military dummy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Military_dummy \"Military dummy\") [Decoy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Decoy \"Decoy\") [Q-ship](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Q-ship \"Q-ship\") |\n| Operations | [World War II](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_War_II \"World War II\"): [Bertram](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Operation_Bertram \"Operation Bertram\") [Bodyguard](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Operation_Bodyguard \"Operation Bodyguard\") |\n| Texts | *[The Art of War](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Art_of_War \"The Art of War\")* |\n\n| [v](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template:Propaganda \"Template:Propaganda\") [t](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template_talk:Propaganda \"Template talk:Propaganda\") [e](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:EditPage\/Template:Propaganda \"Special:EditPage\/Template:Propaganda\")[Propaganda techniques](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda_techniques \"Propaganda techniques\") |\n|---|\n| [Accusation in a mirror](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Accusation_in_a_mirror \"Accusation in a mirror\") *[Ad hominem](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ad_hominem \"Ad hominem\")* [Appeal to fear](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Appeal_to_fear \"Appeal to fear\") [Appeal to emotion](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Appeal_to_emotion \"Appeal to emotion\") [Atrocity propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atrocity_propaganda \"Atrocity propaganda\") [Bandwagon effect](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bandwagon_effect \"Bandwagon effect\") [Big lie](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Big_lie \"Big lie\") [Black propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Black_propaganda \"Black propaganda\") [Blood libel](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blood_libel \"Blood libel\") [Buzzword](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Buzzword \"Buzzword\") [Cartographic propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cartographic_propaganda \"Cartographic propaganda\") [Computational propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Computational_propaganda \"Computational propaganda\") [Censorship](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Censorship \"Censorship\") [Cherry picking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cherry_picking \"Cherry picking\") [Cult of personality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cult_of_personality \"Cult of personality\") [Demonizing the enemy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonizing_the_enemy \"Demonizing the enemy\") [Disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation \"Disinformation\") [Dog whistle](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dog_whistle_\$politics\$ \"Dog whistle (politics)\") [Doublespeak](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doublespeak \"Doublespeak\") [Emotive conjugation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Emotive_conjugation \"Emotive conjugation\") [Exaggeration](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Exaggeration \"Exaggeration\") [False accusation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_accusation \"False accusation\") [False balance](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_balance \"False balance\") [False dilemma](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/False_dilemma \"False dilemma\") [Fake news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website \"Fake news website\") [Fear, uncertainty, and doubt](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt \"Fear, uncertainty, and doubt\") [Firehose of falsehood](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Firehose_of_falsehood \"Firehose of falsehood\") [Flag-waving](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Flag-waving \"Flag-waving\") [Framing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Framing_\$social_sciences\$ \"Framing (social sciences)\") [Gish gallop](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gish_gallop \"Gish gallop\") [Glittering generality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Glittering_generality \"Glittering generality\") [Half-truth](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Half-truth \"Half-truth\") [Historical negationism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Historical_negationism \"Historical negationism\") [Ideograph](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ideograph_\$rhetoric\$ \"Ideograph (rhetoric)\") [Indoctrination](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indoctrination \"Indoctrination\") [Lawfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lawfare \"Lawfare\") [Loaded language](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Loaded_language \"Loaded language\") [Newspeak](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Newspeak \"Newspeak\") [Managing the news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Managing_the_news \"Managing the news\") [Minimisation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Minimisation_\$psychology\$ \"Minimisation (psychology)\") [Monumental propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Monumental_propaganda \"Monumental propaganda\") [Moralistic fallacy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moralistic_fallacy \"Moralistic fallacy\") [New generation warfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_generation_warfare \"New generation warfare\") [Obscurantism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Obscurantism \"Obscurantism\") [Overcomplication](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Analysis_paralysis \"Analysis paralysis\") [Oversimplification](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oversimplification \"Oversimplification\") [Plain folks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plain_folks \"Plain folks\") [Psychological warfare](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Psychological_warfare \"Psychological warfare\") [Propaganda of the deed](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda_of_the_deed \"Propaganda of the deed\") [Public relations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_relations \"Public relations\") [Rally 'round the flag effect](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rally_%27round_the_flag_effect \"Rally 'round the flag effect\") [Scapegoating](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scapegoating \"Scapegoating\") [Senbu](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Senbu \"Senbu\") [Shooting and crying](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shooting_and_crying \"Shooting and crying\") [Slogan](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slogan \"Slogan\") [Spin](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spin_\$propaganda\$ \"Spin (propaganda)\") [Weasel word](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Weasel_word \"Weasel word\") [Whataboutism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Whataboutism \"Whataboutism\") [White propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/White_propaganda \"White propaganda\") |\n\n| [v](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Template:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") [t](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template_talk:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Template talk:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") [e](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:EditPage\/Template:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Special:EditPage\/Template:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\")[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") |   |\n|---|---|\n| Events | [DNC cyber attacks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Democratic_National_Committee_cyber_attacks \"Democratic National Committee cyber attacks\") [GRU](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/GRU_\$Russian_Federation\$ \"GRU (Russian Federation)\") [Fancy Bear](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fancy_Bear \"Fancy Bear\") [Guccifer 2.0](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guccifer_2.0 \"Guccifer 2.0\") [SVR RF](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Foreign_Intelligence_Service_\$Russia\$ \"Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)\") [Cozy Bear](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cozy_Bear \"Cozy Bear\") [DCCC cyber attacks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Democratic_Congressional_Campaign_Committee_cyber_attacks \"Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee cyber attacks\") [Leaks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_States_election_leaks \"2016 United States election leaks\") [DNC email leak](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_Democratic_National_Committee_email_leak \"2016 Democratic National Committee email leak\") [Podesta emails](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Podesta_emails \"Podesta emails\") [WikiLeaks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/WikiLeaks \"WikiLeaks\") [DCLeaks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/DCLeaks \"DCLeaks\") [Pizzagate conspiracy theory](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory \"Pizzagate conspiracy theory\") [Social media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_media_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election \"Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election\") [IRA](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_Research_Agency \"Internet Research Agency\") [Cambridge Analytica](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cambridge_Analytica \"Cambridge Analytica\") [Fake news websites]() [Russia and BLM](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russia_and_Black_Lives_Matter \"Russia and Black Lives Matter\") |\n| [Timelines](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") | [Topical](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Topical_timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Topical timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") [before July 2016](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") [July 2016 – election day](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections_\$July_2016_%E2%80%93_election_day\$ \"Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)\") [Transition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_post-election_transition_following_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections \"Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections\") [Jan–Jun 2017](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$January%E2%80%93June_2017\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2017)\") [Jul–Dec 2017](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$July%E2%80%93December_2017\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2017)\") [Jan–Jun 2018](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$January%E2%80%93June_2018\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2018)\") [Jul–Dec 2018](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$July%E2%80%93December_2018\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)\") [Jan–Jun 2019](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$January%E2%80%93June_2019\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2019)\") [Jul–Dec 2019](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$July%E2%80%93December_2019\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2019)\") [2020–2022](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_\$2020%E2%80%932022\$ \"Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2020–2022)\") [Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timelines_related_to_Donald_Trump_and_Russian_interference_in_United_States_elections \"Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections\") |\n| Post-election events |   |\n|   |   |\n| [Mueller special counsel investigation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mueller_special_counsel_investigation \"Mueller special counsel investigation\") | [Legal teams](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Legal_teams_involved_in_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation \"Legal teams involved in the Mueller special counsel investigation\") [list of charges](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Criminal_charges_brought_in_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation \"Criminal charges brought in the Mueller special counsel investigation\") *[United States v. Flynn](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_v._Flynn \"United States v. Flynn\")* [Trials of Paul Manafort](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trials_of_Paul_Manafort \"Trials of Paul Manafort\") [Mueller report](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mueller_report \"Mueller report\") [Barr letter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Barr_letter \"Barr letter\") [Links between Trump associates and Russia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Links_between_Trump_associates_and_Russian_officials \"Links between Trump associates and Russian officials\") [Trump business projects in Russia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Business_projects_of_Donald_Trump_in_Russia \"Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia\") [Trump Tower Moscow](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trump_Tower_Moscow \"Trump Tower Moscow\") [Trump Tower meeting](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trump_Tower_meeting \"Trump Tower meeting\") [Reactions](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reactions_to_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation \"Reactions to the Mueller special counsel investigation\") |\n| Other United States elections | [2018 interference](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2018_United_States_elections \"Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections\") [2020 interference](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2020_United_States_elections \"Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections\") [2024 interference](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections \"Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections\") |\n| Related | [Active measures](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Active_measures \"Active measures\") [Russian disinformation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_disinformation \"Russian disinformation\") [Cyberwarfare by Russia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cyberwarfare_by_Russia \"Cyberwarfare by Russia\") [Russian web brigades](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_web_brigades \"Russian web brigades\") [Propaganda in Russia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda_in_Russia \"Propaganda in Russia\") [Russian espionage in the United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_espionage_in_the_United_States \"Russian espionage in the United States\") *[The Plot to Hack America](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Plot_to_Hack_America \"The Plot to Hack America\")* (2016) *[Trump: The Kremlin Candidate?](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Trump:_The_Kremlin_Candidate%3F \"Trump: The Kremlin Candidate?\")* (2017) *[Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cyberwar:_How_Russian_Hackers_and_Trolls_Helped_Elect_a_President \"Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President\")* (2018) *[Russian Roulette](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_Roulette_\$Isikoff_and_Corn_book\$ \"Russian Roulette (Isikoff and Corn book)\")* (2018) [Intelligence and Security Committee report](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Intelligence_and_Security_Committee_Russia_report \"Intelligence and Security Committee Russia report\") [Russian interference in British politics](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_British_politics \"Russian interference in British politics\") [2016 Brexit referendum](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_Brexit_referendum \"Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum\") [2017 Macron e-mail leaks](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2017_Macron_e-mail_leaks \"2017 Macron e-mail leaks\") [Russian interference in European politics](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_interference_in_European_politics \"Russian interference in European politics\") |\n\n| [v](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template:Media_and_human_factors \"Template:Media and human factors\") [t](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Template_talk:Media_and_human_factors \"Template talk:Media and human factors\") [e](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:EditPage\/Template:Media_and_human_factors \"Special:EditPage\/Template:Media and human factors\")[Media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_\$communication\$ \"Media (communication)\") and [human factors](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ergonomics \"Ergonomics\") |   |\n|---|---|\n| [Cognitive psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cognitive_psychology \"Cognitive psychology\") [Externality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Externality \"Externality\") [Evolutionary psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Evolutionary_psychology \"Evolutionary psychology\") [Behavioral modernity](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Behavioral_modernity \"Behavioral modernity\") [Cognition](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Evolution_of_cognition \"Evolution of cognition\") [Mismatch](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Evolutionary_mismatch \"Evolutionary mismatch\") [Media psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_psychology \"Media psychology\") [Media studies](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_studies \"Media studies\") [Social psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_psychology \"Social psychology\") |   |\n| Media practices | [Betteridge's law of headlines](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines \"Betteridge's law of headlines\") [Gatekeeping](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gatekeeping_\$communication\$ \"Gatekeeping (communication)\") [Infotainment](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Infotainment \"Infotainment\") [Human-interest story](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Human-interest_story \"Human-interest story\") [Junk food news](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Junk_food_news \"Junk food news\") [Least objectionable program](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Least_objectionable_program \"Least objectionable program\") [Soft media](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Soft_media \"Soft media\") [Journalistic scandal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Journalistic_scandal \"Journalistic scandal\") [Media bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_bias \"Media bias\") [Media manipulation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_manipulation \"Media manipulation\") [Pink-slime journalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pink-slime_journalism \"Pink-slime journalism\") [Political endorsement](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_endorsement \"Political endorsement\") [Propaganda](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Propaganda \"Propaganda\") [Public relations](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Public_relations \"Public relations\") [Missing white woman syndrome](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Missing_white_woman_syndrome \"Missing white woman syndrome\") [News values](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/News_values \"News values\") [Sensationalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sensationalism \"Sensationalism\") [Hot take](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hot_take \"Hot take\") [Spiking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spike_\$journalism\$ \"Spike (journalism)\") [Tabloid television](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tabloid_television \"Tabloid television\") [Yellow journalism](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yellow_journalism \"Yellow journalism\") |\n| [Attention](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention \"Attention\") | [Attention economy](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention_economy \"Attention economy\") [Attention inequality](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention_inequality \"Attention inequality\") [Attention management](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention_management \"Attention management\") [Attention span](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention_span \"Attention span\") [Chumbox](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chumbox \"Chumbox\") [Clickbait](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clickbait \"Clickbait\") [Cognitive miser](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cognitive_miser \"Cognitive miser\") [Low information voter](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Low_information_voter \"Low information voter\") [Digital zombie](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digital_zombie \"Digital zombie\") [Phubbing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Phubbing \"Phubbing\") [Doomscrolling](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doomscrolling \"Doomscrolling\") [Human multitasking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Human_multitasking \"Human multitasking\") [Media multitasking](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Media_multitasking \"Media multitasking\") [Mobile phones and driving safety](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety \"Mobile phones and driving safety\") [Smartphones and pedestrian safety](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Smartphones_and_pedestrian_safety \"Smartphones and pedestrian safety\") [Texting while driving](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Texting_while_driving \"Texting while driving\") [Influence-for-hire](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Influence-for-hire \"Influence-for-hire\") [Infodemic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Infodemic \"Infodemic\") [Information explosion](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information_explosion \"Information explosion\") [Information overload](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information_overload \"Information overload\") [Information pollution](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information_pollution \"Information pollution\") [Information–action ratio](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Information%E2%80%93action_ratio \"Information–action ratio\") [Rage farming](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rage_farming \"Rage farming\") [Screen time](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Screen_time \"Screen time\") [Binge-watching](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Binge-watching \"Binge-watching\") [Television consumption](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Television_consumption \"Television consumption\") [Sticky content](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sticky_content \"Sticky content\") |\n| [Cognitive bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cognitive_bias \"Cognitive bias\")\/ [Conformity](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Conformity \"Conformity\") | [Availability cascade](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Availability_cascade \"Availability cascade\") [Availability heuristic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Availability_heuristic \"Availability heuristic\") [Bandwagon effect](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bandwagon_effect \"Bandwagon effect\") [Confirmation bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Confirmation_bias \"Confirmation bias\") [Crowd psychology](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crowd_psychology \"Crowd psychology\") [Mobbing](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mobbing \"Mobbing\") [Moral panic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moral_panic \"Moral panic\") [Mean world syndrome](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mean_world_syndrome \"Mean world syndrome\") [Negativity bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Negativity_bias \"Negativity bias\") [Peer pressure](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Peer_pressure \"Peer pressure\") [Social-desirability bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social-desirability_bias \"Social-desirability bias\") [Social influence bias](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_influence_bias \"Social influence bias\") [Spiral of silence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spiral_of_silence \"Spiral of silence\") |\n| [Digital divide](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digital_divide \"Digital divide\")\/ [Political polarization](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Political_polarization \"Political polarization\") | [Algorithmic radicalization](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Algorithmic_radicalization \"Algorithmic radicalization\") [Youth](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Online_youth_radicalization \"Online youth radicalization\") [Echo chamber](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Echo_chamber_\$media\$ \"Echo chamber (media)\") [Fake news website](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fake_news_website 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Boilerpipe Text	Fake news websites target United States audiences by using disinformation to create or inflame controversial topics such as the 2016 election . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real news organizations , which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message. [ 3 ] Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump , [ 4 ] as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation. [ 5 ] Additionally, satire websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Fake news websites deliberately publish hoaxes , propaganda , and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] These sites are distinguished from news satire as fake news articles are usually fabricated to deliberately mislead readers, either for profit or more ambiguous reasons, such as disinformation campaigns. [ 9 ] [ 11 ] Many sites originate in or are promoted by Russia, [ 8 ] [ 12 ] North Macedonia, [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Romania, [ 15 ] and the United States. [ 16 ] Many sites directly targeted the United States both because the U.S. is a high-value ad consumer and extraordinary claims are more likely to be believed during a political crisis. [ 13 ] The New York Times noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within tabloid journalism in years prior to the 2016 U.S. election . [ 11 ] However, prior to the election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump , fake news had not impacted the election process to such a high degree. [ 11 ] Subsequent to that election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon between supporters of Clinton and Trump; due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such argumentation became vaguer. [ 11 ] Fake news websites use a variety of methods to fool their readers into believing their content, either by attempting to persuade the readers that they are legitimate or by distracting readers with incredible news. Fictional examples of clickbait chumbox adverts Fake news websites often have article titles that are incredible, prompting the user to click on it and read more. [ 17 ] This method of enticing readers to view content on their website often leads to exaggerated or even fake titles. When linked to from other sites, usually social media, having an extraordinary story title played a large part in tricking users who cannot tell if the article is real or not. This became especially relevant in the 2016 election. Additionally, out-of-context or manipulated images can cause readers to incorrectly assume an article's legitimacy, often due to their inflammatory image choice. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] Facebook 's Vice President of News Feed says the social media giant defines clickbait "as headlines that withhold significant amounts of information and mislead the user". Because it is difficult to determine what content exactly is fake news, the website uses a data set to calculate the likelihood of a headline being clickbait. [ 20 ] Another method of gaining readers is impersonating a legitimate news organization. This can come in two forms, either by copying a popular news organization's website formatting and pretending to be a lesser known publication or by completely copying an existing website down to its name and authors. [ 2 ] Exact copies can trick viewers into believing the website is an official organization such as the Bloomberg.ma [ 21 ] [ 22 ] or cnn-trending.com. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] ABCnews.com.co was a fake news website that "crudely" [ 25 ] spoofed legitimate journalistic organization ABC News , but was in reality completely unrelated. The site published only fake stories, usually with a realistic clickbait headline, albeit with story-details containing enough flaws that the "discerning reader would likely notice" it was false. [ 26 ] The Denver Guardian was a blog site registered in 2016 that claimed to be a legitimate newspaper in Denver , but only ran a single fabricated story that went viral . [ 27 ] Typosquatting, a form of cybersquatting , is based on Internet users mistyping the name of a popular Web site. A typosquatter will monitor how many clicks a "typo" domain name receives and use the information to sell advertising for the sites that receive a high volume of "accidental" traffic. [ 28 ] Many popular fake news websites like ABCnews.com.co attempted to impersonate a legitimate U.S. news publication, relying on readers not actually checking the address they typed or clicked on. They exploited common misspellings, slight misphrasings and abuse of top-level domains such as .com.co as opposed to .com. Many social media users were duped, believing they were going to an actual news publication's website. [ 29 ] Since the authors of these websites are not actual reporters, many fake news sites either pretend to have the identity of a reporter or simply do not include an 'About Us' page. [ 30 ] When these sites are publicized by actual organizations, they receive a bit of legitimacy along with more viewers. [ 19 ] Fake news campaigns [ edit ] The election cycle of the US office of president has become a focal point around which many campaigns of fake news are organized. 2020 election cycle [ edit ] A November 2019 editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune suggested that Facebook and Google "do what broadcast and cable TV networks have done for decades: have politically neutral fact-checkers vet every single political ad. This approach has not prevented past campaigns from running powerful, hard-hitting ads. What it does prevent, or at least limit, is the rapid spread of disinformation." [ 31 ] According to Will Robinson, a Democratic consultant and a founding partner of New Media Firm, "This is the first post-mass media election in which, for the first time in U.S. history, more significant amounts of money will be spent on social media and digital than on broadcast." Glen Bolger, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a leading Republican polling firm, predicted that "If you like clean, positive, issue-oriented campaigns, you're going to be disappointed. It's going to be rough and tumble." [ 32 ] In December Facebook and Twitter disabled a global network of 900 pages, groups and accounts sending pro-Trump messages. The fake news accounts managed to avoid detection as being inauthentic, and they used photos generated with the aid of artificial intelligence. The campaign was based in the U.S. and Vietnam. "There's no question that social media has really changed the way that we talk about politics," said Deen Freelon, a media professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The No. 1 example is our president who, whether you like him or not, uses social media in ways that are unprecedented for a president and I would say any politician." [ 33 ] A 2019 article in USA Today stated that "[In the 2020 election,] with so many people running for president and so many bad actors trying to spread disinformation about them, it will be difficult to determine what is 'fake news' and who created it. The question is not if or when there will be disinformation campaigns, because they have already started." [ 34 ] 2016 election cycle [ edit ] Fake news websites played a large part in the online news community during the election, reinforced by extreme exposure on Facebook and Google. [ 35 ] Approximately 115 pro-Trump fake stories were shared on Facebook a total of 30 million times, and 41 pro-Clinton fake stories shared a total of 7.6 million times. [ 36 ] [ 37 ] There were two main reasons for creating fake news: economical and ideological. [ 36 ] The teenagers in Veles, for example, produced stories favoring both Trump and Clinton that earned them tens of thousands of dollars. [ 38 ] Some fake news providers seek to advance candidates they favor. The Romanian man who ran endingthefed.com , for example, claims that he started the site mainly to help Donald Trump's campaign. [ 15 ] Major fake news sites involved [ edit ] ABCnews.com.co – pro-right [ 25 ] Conservative Daily Post – both anti-left and anti-right [ 39 ] [ 40 ] Denver Guardian – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles [ 41 ] Disinfomedia – anti-right articles that aimed to trick alt-rights [ 16 ] News Examiner – anti-left articles [ 42 ] NewsPunch – inflammatory for both sides as well as conspiratorial [ 43 ] SubjectPolitics.com – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles [ 44 ] Professor Philip N. Howard of the University of Oxford found that about one half of all news on Twitter directed at Michigan prior to the election was junk or fake. The other half came from real news sources. Criticized for failing to stop fake news from spreading on its platform during the 2016 election, Facebook thought that the problem could be solved by engineering, until May 2017 when it announced plans to hire 3,000 content reviewers. [ 45 ] Fraudulent stories during the 2016 U.S. presidential election popularized on Facebook included a viral post that Pope Francis and actor Denzel Washington had endorsed Donald Trump . [ 46 ] [ 47 ] BuzzFeed News found that on Facebook during the last three months of the election, fake news stories received more attention than real news stories. It was discovered that the top twenty fake news stories had 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments, while the top twenty real news stories were only shared, commented on, and reacted to 7,367,000 times. [ 48 ] One prominent fraudulent news story released after the election—that protesters at anti-Trump rallies in Austin, Texas, were "bused in"—started as a tweet by one individual with 40 Twitter followers. [ 49 ] Over the next three days, the tweet was shared at least 16,000 times on Twitter and 350,000 times on Facebook, and promoted in the conservative blogosphere, before the individual stated that he had fabricated his assertions. [ 49 ] President Barack Obama commented on the significant problem of fraudulent information on social networks impacting elections in a speech the day before Election Day in 2016, saying lies repeated on social media created a "dust cloud of nonsense". [ 50 ] [ 51 ] Shortly after the election, Obama again commented on the problem, saying in an appearance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel : "if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems". [ 52 ] [ 53 ] President Trump also commented significantly on fake news, creating the Fake News Awards to highlight real news outlets that publicly "misrepresented" him. [ 54 ] In early November 2016, fake news sites and Internet forums falsely implicated the restaurant Comet Ping Pong and Democratic Party figures as part of a fictitious child trafficking ring, which was dubbed " Pizzagate ". [ 55 ] The conspiracy theory was debunked by the fact-checking website Snopes.com , The New York Times , and Fox News . [ 56 ] [ 57 ] [ 58 ] [ 59 ] The restaurant's owners and staff were harassed and threatened on social media. [ 55 ] [ 60 ] After threats, Comet Ping Pong increased security for concerts held inside its premises. [ 61 ] Days after the attack, Hillary Clinton spoke out on the dangers of fake news in a tribute speech to retiring Senator Harry Reid at the U.S. Capitol . [ 62 ] [ 63 ] Clinton called the spread of fraudulent news and fabricated propaganda an epidemic that flowed through social media. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] She said it posed a danger to citizens of the U.S. and to the country's political process. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] Clinton said in her speech she supported bills before the U.S. Congress to deal with fake news. [ 62 ] Notable examples of fake news websites [ edit ] Many of these websites are categorized as fake news because they have a satirical take on the news, but ultimately fail to convince their readers that their content is actually fake. RealTrueNews.com was created as a hoax that the author believed would teach his alt-right friends about reader gullibility. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] [ 66 ] The "everything was a lie" strapline was added later. Marco Chacon created the fake news site RealTrueNews to show his alt-right friends their alleged gullibility. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] Chacon wrote a fake transcript for Clinton's leaked speeches in which Clinton explains bronies to Goldman Sachs bankers. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] Chacon was shocked when his fiction was reported as factual by Fox News and he heard his writings on Megyn Kelly 's The Kelly File . [ 64 ] [ 65 ] Trace Gallagher repeated Chacon's fiction and falsely reported Clinton had called Bernie Sanders supporters a "bucket of losers"—a phrase made up by Chacon. [ 64 ] After denials from Clinton staff, Megyn Kelly apologized with a public retraction. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] [ 66 ] Chacon later told Brent Bambury of CBC Radio One program Day 6 that he was so shocked at readers' ignorance he felt it was like an episode from The Twilight Zone . [ 66 ] In an interview with ABC News , Chacon defended his site, saying it was an over-the-top parody of fake sites to teach his friends how ridiculous they were. [ 67 ] The Daily Beast reported on the popularity of Chacon's fictions being reported as if it were factual and noted pro-Trump message boards and YouTube videos routinely believed them. [ 64 ] In a follow-up piece Chacon wrote as a contributor for The Daily Beast after the 2016 U.S. election, he concluded those most susceptible to fake news were consumers who limited themselves to partisan media outlets. [ 65 ] Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com) [ edit ] MediaFetcher.com is a fake news website generator. It has various templates for creating false articles about celebrities of a user's choice. Often users miss the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, before re-sharing. The website has prompted many readers to speculate about the deaths of various celebrities. [ 68 ] [ 69 ] Similar to Global Associated News, many readers have been tricked into believing the satire website Huzlers . Snopes has over 30 separate fact checks on their articles, each one correcting the fake news from Huzlers. [ 70 ] [ 71 ] According to owner Pablo Reyes Jr. , the website does not "try to trick people intentionally". [ 72 ] 70news was a WordPress -based blog site, which produced fake news during 2016; in particular, one story falsely stated that Donald Trump had won the popular vote in the 2016 election, fooled search engine algorithms and ranked very highly in results the day after the election. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] When googling "final election vote count", the website 70News was the top one to come up. It truthfully stated that Trump had won the electoral college but falsely stated that Trump was ahead of Hillary Clinton in the popular vote. By the next day, the story had dropped one spot to number two on the search list. Google commented that its software algorithms use hundreds of factors to determine the ranking. [ 75 ] In addition to disconnected sites that run on an inadequate budget, there are sites with many connections behind them: Jestin Coler from Los Angeles founded Disinfomedia, a company that owns many fake news sites. [ 16 ] He gave interviews under a pseudonym , Allen Montgomery. [ 16 ] With the help of tech-company engineer John Jansen, journalists from NPR found Coler's identity. [ 16 ] Coler explained how his intent for his project backfired; he wanted to expose alt-right echo chambers , and point out their gullibility. [ 16 ] He stated his company wrote fake articles for the left wing that were not shared as much as those from a right-wing point of view. [ 16 ] National Report and News Examiner [ edit ] Both of these fake news websites heavily profited through the use of clickbait headlines, which were usually false. Paul Horner , a lead writer at both of these websites, focused significantly on the election, since it drew strong ad revenue. He told The Washington Post he made $10,000 per month through ads linked to fake news. [ 76 ] [ 77 ] [ 78 ] After the election, Horner said that he felt his efforts helped Trump. [ 79 ] In a follow-up interview with Rolling Stone , Horner revealed The Washington Post profile piece on him spurred increased interest with over 60 interview requests from media including ABC News , CBS News , and CBS's Inside Edition . [ 80 ] Horner explained his writing style: articles that appeared legitimate at the top and became increasingly absurd as the reader progressed. [ 80 ] These two websites often referenced each other. [ 42 ] Christian Times Newspaper [ edit ] In an interview with The New York Times , Cameron Harris of Annapolis, Maryland, explains how he profited from creating fake news on his website, ChristianTimesNewspaper.com, that included a false story claiming that premarked ballots for Mrs. Clinton were being held in boxes at a warehouse in Ohio. [ 81 ] [ 82 ] Within a few days, the story had earned him around $5,000. [ 81 ] During the summer of 2016, KMT 11 News published a series of fake news stories regarding celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns. These towns included Brentwood, Tennessee , [ 83 ] Chandler, Arizona , [ 84 ] and Atlantic City, New Jersey . [ 85 ] [ 86 ] Spread and identification of fake news [ edit ] 44 percent of all US adults get news from Facebook . [ 87 ] Investigations conducted in 2017 showed nearly 40 percent of content by far-right Facebook pages and 19 percent of far-left pages were false or misleading. [ 87 ] In the 10 months leading up to the 2016 presidential election , 20 fake news articles shared on Facebook dramatically increased from 3 million shares, reactions, and comments to nearly 9 million. [ 87 ] Mainstream media articles, on the other hand, declined from 12 million shares, reactions, and comments in February to only 7.3 million by Election Day. [ 87 ] In 2019 Christine Michel Carter , a writer who has reported on Generation Alpha for Forbes stated that one-third of the generation can decipher false or misleading information in the media. [ 88 ] A study conducted by the Stanford Graduate School of Education from January 2015 revealed difficulties that middle, high school, and college students experienced in differentiating between advertisements and news articles, or identifying where information originated. [ 89 ] One concern noted by researchers of the study is that democracy is at risk of devolving due to the ways in which falsehoods about civic issues can quickly spread with a growing ease of access. In one assessment, high school students were asked to evaluate two Facebook posts mentioning Donald Trump 's candidacy for president; one was from an actual Fox News account and the other was from a fake account. [ 89 ] Over 30 percent of students stated that the fake account was more reliable because of its graphic elements and only a quarter recognized the significance of the blue checkmark on Twitter and Facebook, which indicates that an account was marked as legitimate. [ 89 ] Elementary school teachers have decided to challenge results from the Stanford study by showing children the importance of not being deceived by what is fake. Fifth grade teacher Scott Bedley in California created his own version of " Simon Says ", in which students are given three minutes to read an article and decide whether a news story is true or false. [ 90 ] Bedley worked with another teacher in Kansas, Todd Flory, to devise a "fake news challenge" via Skype whereby Flory's class picked two real articles and wrote a fake one, to be presented to Bedley's class in California. [ 90 ] Teachers are promoting these learning techniques with the hope that such strategies and skills will stay with their students' for the rest of their adolescent and adult lives. [ 90 ] [ 91 ] Andreas Schleicher, the lead of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), announced in 2017 that his organization was initiating "global competencies" tests that will be taken by 15-year-olds around the world alongside the OECD's current reading, maths and science assessments, which are conducted every three years. This will test how well students can discern fake news outside of their sociopolitical bubble. [ 92 ] Jennifer Coogan, editor in chief of education startup Newsela, has partnered with the American Press Institute to help combat fake news consumption in addition to its regular literacy classes. She believes it is now the teacher's responsibility to help teach their students about which media to believe since it is near impossible for a parent to monitor every source that a child will read. [ 93 ] After receiving heavy criticism for not stopping the extreme number of fake news articles on its platform, Facebook announced in December 2016 that it would begin to flag fake news. If enough users flagged a story, the story would be sent to a third-party organization to check its veracity. If it failed, it would lose news feed priority as well as have "disputed by 3rd party fact-checkers" as a caption. Facebook is also attempting to reduce their financial incentives in an attempt to decrease the amount of fake news. The fact checking organizations involved are ABC News , Associated Press , FactCheck.org , PolitiFact and Snopes . [ 94 ] [ 95 ] [ 96 ] In 2018, Facebook has admitted that it "fell short" in stopping outside meddling in the U.S. presidential election. This admission comes after increased scrutiny from lawmakers in a broader backlash against Silicon Valley as well as a Senate hearing for social media company executives. [ 97 ] In today's world young people rely heavily on social media to access information that is broadcast on the news. Many teens described traditional news as "boring" and "the same", implying that it was predictable and devoid of any questioning of power. In contrast, they felt that Facebook postings, YouTube videos, blogs, opinionated talk shows and fake news provided background information and perspectives that enabled them to understand the larger meanings of political events and develop their own opinions. For them, this was a more truthful and authentic rendition of news. [ 98 ] Fact-checking organizations [ edit ] In the aftermath of the election, many fact-checking websites teamed up with Facebook in order to check on the veracity of linked articles. [ 94 ] Many of these organizations have also posted lists of fake news websites and guides on how to identify them. [ 99 ] [ 19 ] Members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee traveled to Ukraine and Poland in March 2016 and heard from officials in both countries on Russian operations to influence their affairs. [ 100 ] U.S. Senator Angus King told the Portland Press Herald that tactics used by Russia during the 2016 U.S. election were analogous to those used against other countries. [ 100 ] King recalled the legislators were informed by officials from both Ukraine and Poland about Russian tactics of "planting fake news stories" during elections. [ 100 ] On November 20, 2016, King joined a letter in which seven members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee asked President Obama to publicize more information from the intelligence community on Russia's role in the U.S. election. [ 100 ] [ 101 ] In an interview with CNN, Senator King warned against ignoring the problem, saying it was a bipartisan issue. [ 102 ] Amid worries about fake news and disinformation being spread by Russia, representatives in the U.S. Congress called for more action to track and counter alleged propaganda emanating from overseas. [ 103 ] On November 20, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the National Defense Authorization Act to ask the U.S. State Department act against propaganda with an inter-agency panel. [ 103 ] The legislation authorized funding of $160 million over a two-year-period. [ 103 ] The initiative was developed through a bipartisan bill, the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act , written by U.S. Senators Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Chris Murphy . [ 103 ] Portman urged more U.S. government action to counter propaganda. [ 103 ] Murphy said after the election it was apparent the U.S. needed additional tactics to fight Russian propaganda. [ 103 ] U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee member Ron Wyden said frustration over covert Russian propaganda was bipartisan. [ 103 ] Republican U.S. Senators stated they planned to hold hearings and investigate Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections. [ 104 ] By doing so they went against the preference of incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who downplayed any potential Russian meddling in the election. [ 104 ] U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr discussed plans for collaboration on investigations of Russian cyberwarfare during the election. [ 104 ] U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker planned a 2017 investigation. [ 104 ] Senator Lindsey Graham indicated he would conduct a sweeping investigation in the 115th U.S. Congress session . [ 104 ] In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission , as part of a campaign to crack down on bogus health claims, charged over $1.6 million to Beony International, owner Mario Milanovic, and Beony International employee Cody Adams. They conspired to promote their own weight loss products with fake news websites. These websites pretended to be legitimate news organizations and heavily promoted their acai berry weight-loss products. [ 105 ] [ 106 ] Counter-Disinformation Team [ edit ] The United States Department of State planned to use a unit called the Counter-Disinformation Team, formed with the intention of combating disinformation from the Russian government ; it was disbanded in September 2015 after department heads missed the scope of propaganda before the 2016 U.S. election . [ 107 ] The U.S. State Department put eight months into developing the unit before scrapping it. [ citation needed ] It would have been a reboot of the Active Measures Working Group set up by President Reagan. [ 107 ] [ 108 ] The Counter-Disinformation Team was set up under the Bureau of International Information Programs . [ 107 ] [ 108 ] Work began in 2014, with the intention to combat propaganda from Russian sources such as Russia Today . [ 107 ] [ 108 ] U.S. Intelligence officials explained to former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer John R. Schindler that the Obama Administration decided to cancel the unit as they were afraid of antagonizing Russia. [ 107 ] U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel was point person for the unit before it was canceled. [ 107 ] [ 108 ] Stengel previously wrote about disinformation by Russia Today . [ 109 ] [ 110 ]
Markdown	[Jump to content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#bodyContent) Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation - [Main page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page "Visit the main page [z]") - [Contents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents "Guides to browsing Wikipedia") - [Current events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events "Articles related to current events") - [Random article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random "Visit a randomly selected article [x]") - [About Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About "Learn about Wikipedia and how it works") - [Contact us](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us "How to contact Wikipedia") Contribute - [Help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents "Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia") - [Learn to edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction "Learn how to edit Wikipedia") - [Community portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal "The hub for editors") - [Recent changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RecentChanges "A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]") - [Upload file](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard "Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia") - [Special pages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:SpecialPages) [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png) ![Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg) ![The Free Encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) [Search](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search "Search Wikipedia [f]") Appearance - [Donate](https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en) - [Create account](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Fake+news+websites+in+the+United+States "You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory") - [Log in](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Fake+news+websites+in+the+United+States "You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. 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[o]") Pages for logged out editors [learn more](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction) - [Contributions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:MyContributions "A list of edits made from this IP address [y]") - [Talk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:MyTalk "Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]") ## Contents move to sidebar hide - [(Top)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States) - [1 Definition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Definition) - [2 Methods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Methods) Toggle Methods subsection - [2\.1 Clickbait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Clickbait) - [2\.2 Impersonation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Impersonation) - [2\.3 Typosquatting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Typosquatting) - [2\.4 Obscurity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Obscurity) - [3 Fake news campaigns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Fake_news_campaigns) Toggle Fake news campaigns subsection - [3\.1 2020 election cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#2020_election_cycle) - [3\.2 2016 election cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#2016_election_cycle) - [3\.2.1 Major fake news sites involved](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Major_fake_news_sites_involved) - [3\.2.2 Social media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Social_media) - [3\.3 "Pizzagate"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#"Pizzagate") - [4 Notable examples of fake news websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Notable_examples_of_fake_news_websites) Toggle Notable examples of fake news websites subsection - [4\.1 RealTrueNews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#RealTrueNews) - [4\.2 Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Global_Associated_News_$MediaFetcher.com$) - [4\.3 Huzlers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Huzlers) - [4\.4 70news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#70news) - [4\.5 Disinfomedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Disinfomedia) - [4\.6 National Report and News Examiner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#National_Report_and_News_Examiner) - [4\.7 Christian Times Newspaper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Christian_Times_Newspaper) - [4\.8 KMT 11 News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#KMT_11_News) - [5 Spread and identification of fake news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Spread_and_identification_of_fake_news) - [6 U.S. response](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#U.S._response) Toggle U.S. response subsection - [6\.1 Educational](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Educational) - [6\.2 Commercial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Commercial) - [6\.2.1 Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Facebook) - [6\.2.2 Fact-checking organizations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Fact-checking_organizations) - [6\.3 Governmental](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Governmental) - [6\.3.1 Legislative](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Legislative) - [6\.3.2 FTC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#FTC) - [6\.3.3 Counter-Disinformation Team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Counter-Disinformation_Team) - [7 See also](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#See_also) - [8 References](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#References) - [9 Further reading](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#Further_reading) - [10 External links](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#External_links) Toggle the table of contents # Fake news websites in the United States 2 languages - [العربية](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9 "مواقع الأخبار المزيفة في الولايات المتحدة – Arabic") - [Português](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sites_de_not%C3%ADcias_falsas_nos_Estados_Unidos "Sites de notícias falsas nos Estados Unidos – Portuguese") [Edit links](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q28136549#sitelinks-wikipedia "Edit interlanguage links") - [Article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States "View the content page [c]") - [Talk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States "Discuss improvements to the content page [t]") English - [Read](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States) - [Edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit "Edit this page [e]") - [View history](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=history "Past revisions of this page [h]") Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions - [Read](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States) - [Edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit "Edit this page [e]") - [View history](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=history) General - [What links here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States "List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]") - [Related changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States "Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]") 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presidential election").[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-1)[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:8-2) Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real [news organizations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_organization "News organization"), which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-3) Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as [Hillary Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton "Hillary Clinton") and [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump "Donald Trump"),[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-4) as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation.[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-5) Additionally, [satire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire "Satire") websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles.[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-6)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-7) ## Definition \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Definition")\] [Fake news websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website "Fake news website") deliberately publish [hoaxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoaxes "Hoaxes"), [propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda "Propaganda"), and [disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") to drive [web traffic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_traffic "Web traffic") inflamed by [social media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media "Social media").[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-russiadominates-8)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-snopesfieldguide-9)[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-divideeurope-10) These sites are distinguished from [news satire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_satire "News satire") as fake news articles are usually fabricated to deliberately mislead readers, either for profit or more ambiguous reasons, such as disinformation campaigns.[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-snopesfieldguide-9)[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) Many sites originate in or are promoted by Russia,[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-russiadominates-8)[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-12) North Macedonia,[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:4-13)[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-14) Romania,[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Inc.com-15) and the United States.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) Many sites directly targeted the United States both because the U.S. is a high-value ad consumer and extraordinary claims are more likely to be believed during a political crisis.[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:4-13) [The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times") noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within [tabloid journalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_journalism "Tabloid journalism") in years prior to the [2016 U.S. election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election "2016 United States presidential election").[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) However, prior to the election between [Hillary Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton "Hillary Clinton") and [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump "Donald Trump"), fake news had not impacted the election process to such a high degree.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) Subsequent to that election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon between supporters of Clinton and Trump; due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such argumentation became vaguer.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-tavernise-11) ## Methods \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Methods")\] Fake news websites use a variety of methods to fool their readers into believing their content, either by attempting to persuade the readers that they are legitimate or by distracting readers with incredible news. ### Clickbait \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Clickbait")\] Main article: [Clickbait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait "Clickbait") [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Example_clickbait_adverts_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Example_clickbait_adverts_%28cropped%29.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Example_clickbait_adverts_$cropped$.jpg) Fictional examples of clickbait [chumbox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumbox "Chumbox") adverts Fake news websites often have article titles that are incredible, prompting the user to click on it and read more.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-17) This method of enticing readers to view content on their website often leads to exaggerated or even fake titles. When linked to from other sites, usually social media, having an extraordinary story title played a large part in tricking users who cannot tell if the article is real or not. This became especially relevant in the 2016 election. Additionally, out-of-context or [manipulated images](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulated_image "Manipulated image") can cause readers to incorrectly assume an article's legitimacy, often due to their inflammatory image choice.[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-18)[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19) [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook")'s Vice President of News Feed says the social media giant defines clickbait "as headlines that withhold significant amounts of information and mislead the user". Because it is difficult to determine what content exactly is fake news, the website uses a data set to calculate the likelihood of a headline being clickbait.[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-20) ### Impersonation \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: Impersonation")\] Another method of gaining readers is impersonating a legitimate news organization. This can come in two forms, either by copying a popular news organization's website formatting and pretending to be a lesser known publication or by completely copying an existing website down to its name and authors.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:8-2) Exact copies can trick viewers into believing the website is an official organization such as the Bloomberg.ma[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-21)[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-22) or cnn-trending.com.[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-23)[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-24) [ABCnews.com.co](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABCnews.com.co "ABCnews.com.co") was a [fake news website](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website "Fake news website") that "crudely"[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-columbia-25) [spoofed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_spoofing "Website spoofing") legitimate [journalistic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_media "News media") organization [ABC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News_$United_States$ "ABC News (United States)"), but was in reality completely unrelated. The site published only fake stories, usually with a realistic [clickbait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait "Clickbait") headline, albeit with story-details containing enough flaws that the "discerning reader would likely notice" it was false.[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-26) The [Denver Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Guardian "Denver Guardian") was a blog site registered in 2016 that claimed to be a legitimate newspaper in [Denver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver "Denver"), but only ran a single fabricated story that went [viral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_phenomenon "Viral phenomenon").[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-27) ### Typosquatting \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Typosquatting")\] Typosquatting, a form of [cybersquatting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting "Cybersquatting"), is based on Internet users mistyping the name of a popular Web site. A typosquatter will monitor how many clicks a "typo" domain name receives and use the information to sell advertising for the sites that receive a high volume of "accidental" traffic.[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-28) Many popular fake news websites like ABCnews.com.co attempted to impersonate a legitimate U.S. news publication, relying on readers not actually checking the address they typed or clicked on. They exploited common misspellings, slight misphrasings and abuse of [top-level domains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain "Top-level domain") such as .com.co as opposed to .com. Many social media users were duped, believing they were going to an actual news publication's website.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-29) ### Obscurity \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: Obscurity")\] Since the authors of these websites are not actual reporters, many fake news sites either pretend to have the identity of a reporter or simply do not include an 'About Us' page.[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-30) When these sites are publicized by actual organizations, they receive a bit of legitimacy along with more viewers.[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19) ## Fake news campaigns \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: Fake news campaigns")\] The election cycle of the [US office of president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election "United States presidential election") has become a focal point around which many campaigns of fake news are organized. ### 2020 election cycle \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section: 2020 election cycle")\] See also: [Foreign interference in the 2020 United States elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_interference_in_the_2020_United_States_elections "Foreign interference in the 2020 United States elections") A November 2019 editorial in the [San Diego Union-Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Union-Tribune "San Diego Union-Tribune") suggested that Facebook and Google "do what broadcast and cable TV networks have done for decades: have politically neutral fact-checkers vet every single political ad. This approach has not prevented past campaigns from running powerful, hard-hitting ads. What it does prevent, or at least limit, is the rapid spread of disinformation."[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-31) According to Will Robinson, a Democratic consultant and a founding partner of New Media Firm, "This is the first post-mass media election in which, for the first time in U.S. history, more significant amounts of money will be spent on social media and digital than on broadcast." Glen Bolger, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a leading Republican polling firm, predicted that "If you like clean, positive, issue-oriented campaigns, you're going to be disappointed. It's going to be rough and tumble."[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-32) In December Facebook and Twitter disabled a global network of 900 pages, groups and accounts sending pro-Trump messages. The fake news accounts managed to avoid detection as being inauthentic, and they used photos generated with the aid of artificial intelligence. The campaign was based in the U.S. and Vietnam. "There's no question that social media has really changed the way that we talk about politics," said Deen Freelon, a media professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The No. 1 example is our president who, whether you like him or not, uses social media in ways that are unprecedented for a president and I would say any politician."[\[33\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-33) A 2019 article in [USA Today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today "USA Today") stated that "\[In the 2020 election,\] with so many people running for president and so many bad actors trying to spread disinformation about them, it will be difficult to determine what is 'fake news' and who created it. The question is not if or when there will be disinformation campaigns, because they have already started."[\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-34) ### 2016 election cycle \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section: 2016 election cycle")\] Further information: [Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") and [Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election "Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election") Fake news websites played a large part in the online news community during the election, reinforced by extreme exposure on Facebook and Google.[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-35) Approximately 115 pro-Trump fake stories were shared on Facebook a total of 30 million times, and 41 pro-Clinton fake stories shared a total of 7.6 million times.[\[36\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:12-36)[\[37\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-37) There were two main reasons for creating fake news: economical and ideological.[\[36\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:12-36) The teenagers in Veles, for example, produced stories favoring both Trump and Clinton that earned them tens of thousands of dollars.[\[38\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-38) Some fake news providers seek to advance candidates they favor. The Romanian man who ran endingthefed.com, for example, claims that he started the site mainly to help Donald Trump's campaign.[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Inc.com-15) #### Major fake news sites involved \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=10 "Edit section: Major fake news sites involved")\] - [ABCnews.com.co](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABCnews.com.co "ABCnews.com.co") – pro-right[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-columbia-25) - Conservative Daily Post – both anti-left and anti-right[\[39\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-39)[\[40\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-40) - [Denver Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Guardian "Denver Guardian") – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles[\[41\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-41) - Disinfomedia – anti-right articles that aimed to trick alt-rights[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) - News Examiner – anti-left articles[\[42\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:11-42) - [NewsPunch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewsPunch "NewsPunch") – inflammatory for both sides as well as conspiratorial[\[43\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-43) - SubjectPolitics.com – known for anti-Hillary Clinton articles[\[44\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-44) #### Social media \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=11 "Edit section: Social media")\] Professor [Philip N. Howard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_N._Howard "Philip N. Howard") of the [University of Oxford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford "University of Oxford") found that about one half of all news on [Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter "Twitter") directed at [Michigan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan "Michigan") prior to the election was junk or fake. The other half came from real news sources. Criticized for failing to stop fake news from spreading on its platform during the 2016 election, [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook") thought that the problem could be solved by engineering, until May 2017 when it announced plans to hire 3,000 content reviewers.[\[45\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-45) Fraudulent stories during the [2016 U.S. presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election "2016 United States presidential election") popularized on Facebook included a viral post that [Pope Francis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis "Pope Francis") and actor [Denzel Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzel_Washington "Denzel Washington") had endorsed [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump "Donald Trump").[\[46\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-alyssanewcomb-46)[\[47\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-didthepope-47) [BuzzFeed News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed_News "BuzzFeed News") found that on Facebook during the last three months of the election, fake news stories received more attention than real news stories. It was discovered that the top twenty fake news stories had 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments, while the top twenty real news stories were only shared, commented on, and reacted to 7,367,000 times.[\[48\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-48) One prominent fraudulent news story released after the election—that protesters at anti-Trump rallies in Austin, Texas, were "bused in"—started as a tweet by one individual with 40 Twitter followers.[\[49\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-maheshwari-49) Over the next three days, the tweet was shared at least 16,000 times on Twitter and 350,000 times on Facebook, and promoted in the conservative blogosphere, before the individual stated that he had fabricated his assertions.[\[49\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-maheshwari-49) [President](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States "President of the United States") [Barack Obama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama "Barack Obama") commented on the significant problem of fraudulent information on social networks impacting elections in a speech the day before [Election Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Day "Election Day") in 2016, saying lies repeated on social media created a "dust cloud of nonsense".[\[50\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-zuckerbergsays-50)[\[51\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-51) Shortly after the election, Obama again commented on the problem, saying in an appearance with [German Chancellor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_Germany "Chancellor of Germany") [Angela Merkel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel "Angela Merkel"): "if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems".[\[52\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-jaketapper-52)[\[53\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-HarrisEddy-53) President Trump also commented significantly on fake news, creating the [Fake News Awards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_News_Awards "Fake News Awards") to highlight real news outlets that publicly "misrepresented" him.[\[54\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-54) ### "Pizzagate" \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=12 "Edit section: \"Pizzagate\"")\] See also: [Pizzagate conspiracy theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory "Pizzagate conspiracy theory") In early November 2016, fake news sites and Internet forums falsely implicated the restaurant [Comet Ping Pong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Ping_Pong "Comet Ping Pong") and [Democratic Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_$United_States$ "Democratic Party (United States)") figures as part of a fictitious [child trafficking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_trafficking "Child trafficking") ring, which was dubbed "[Pizzagate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory "Pizzagate conspiracy theory")".[\[55\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bbc-pizzagate-55) The conspiracy theory was debunked by the fact-checking website [Snopes.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com "Snopes.com"), [The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times"), and [Fox News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News "Fox News").[\[56\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-56)[\[57\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-57)[\[58\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-DCGunman-58)[\[59\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-Fox-59) The restaurant's owners and staff were harassed and threatened on social media.[\[55\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bbc-pizzagate-55)[\[60\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-60) After threats, Comet Ping Pong increased security for concerts held inside its premises.[\[61\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-61) Days after the attack, [Hillary Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton "Hillary Clinton") spoke out on the dangers of fake news in a tribute speech to retiring Senator [Harry Reid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Reid "Harry Reid") at the [U.S. Capitol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol "United States Capitol").[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\[63\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) Clinton called the spread of fraudulent news and fabricated propaganda an epidemic that flowed through social media.[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\[63\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) She said it posed a danger to citizens of the U.S. and to the country's political process.[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62)[\[63\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonwarnsepidemic-63) Clinton said in her speech she supported bills before the U.S. Congress to deal with fake news.[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-clintonattacksfake-62) ## Notable examples of fake news websites \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=13 "Edit section: Notable examples of fake news websites")\] Many of these websites are categorized as fake news because they have a satirical take on the news, but ultimately fail to convince their readers that their content is actually fake. ### RealTrueNews \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=14 "Edit section: RealTrueNews")\] [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg/250px-Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Everything_on_RealTrueNews_Was_A_LIE.jpg) RealTrueNews.com was created as a [hoax](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hoax "Internet hoax") that the author believed would teach his [alt-right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-right "Alt-right") friends about reader gullibility.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65)[\[66\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66) The "everything was a lie" strapline was added later. Marco Chacon created the fake news site RealTrueNews to show his [alt-right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-right "Alt-right") friends their alleged gullibility.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) Chacon wrote a fake transcript for Clinton's leaked speeches in which Clinton explains [bronies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronies "Bronies") to [Goldman Sachs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Sachs "Goldman Sachs") bankers.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) Chacon was shocked when his fiction was reported as factual by [Fox News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News "Fox News") and he heard his writings on [Megyn Kelly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megyn_Kelly "Megyn Kelly")'s [The Kelly File](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kelly_File "The Kelly File").[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) [Trace Gallagher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_Gallagher "Trace Gallagher") repeated Chacon's fiction and falsely reported Clinton had called [Bernie Sanders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders "Bernie Sanders") supporters a "bucket of losers"—a phrase made up by Chacon.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64) After denials from Clinton staff, Megyn Kelly apologized with a public retraction.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64)[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65)[\[66\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66) Chacon later told [Brent Bambury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Bambury "Brent Bambury") of [CBC Radio One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBC_Radio_One "CBC Radio One") program [Day 6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_6 "Day 6") that he was so shocked at readers' ignorance he felt it was like an episode from [The Twilight Zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone "The Twilight Zone").[\[66\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-bambury-66) In an interview with [ABC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News_$United_States$ "ABC News (United States)"), Chacon defended his site, saying it was an over-the-top parody of fake sites to teach his friends how ridiculous they were.[\[67\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-jujuchang-67) [The Daily Beast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Beast "The Daily Beast") reported on the popularity of Chacon's fictions being reported as if it were factual and noted pro-Trump [message boards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum "Internet forum") and YouTube videos routinely believed them.[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon-64) In a follow-up piece Chacon wrote as a contributor for [The Daily Beast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Beast "The Daily Beast") after the 2016 U.S. election, he concluded those most susceptible to fake news were consumers who limited themselves to partisan media outlets.[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-chacon2-65) ### Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com) \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=15 "Edit section: Global Associated News (MediaFetcher.com)")\] MediaFetcher.com is a fake news website generator. It has various templates for creating false articles about celebrities of a user's choice. Often users miss the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, before re-sharing. The website has prompted many readers to speculate about the deaths of various celebrities.[\[68\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-68)[\[69\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-69) ### Huzlers \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=16 "Edit section: Huzlers")\] Similar to Global Associated News, many readers have been tricked into believing the satire website [Huzlers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huzlers "Huzlers"). Snopes has over 30 separate fact checks on their articles, each one correcting the fake news from Huzlers.[\[70\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-70)[\[71\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-71) According to owner [Pablo Reyes Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Reyes_Jr. "Pablo Reyes Jr."), the website does not "try to trick people intentionally".[\[72\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-72) ### 70news \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=17 "Edit section: 70news")\] 70news was a [WordPress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress "WordPress")\-based blog site, which produced fake news during 2016; in particular, one story falsely stated that [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump "Donald Trump") had won the [popular vote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_elections_in_which_the_winner_lost_the_popular_vote "United States presidential elections in which the winner lost the popular vote") in the 2016 election, fooled search engine algorithms and ranked very highly in results the day after the election.[\[73\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-wapo14november2016-73)[\[74\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-politifact14november2016-74) When googling "final election vote count", the website 70News was the top one to come up. It truthfully stated that Trump had won the electoral college but falsely stated that Trump was ahead of Hillary Clinton in the popular vote. By the next day, the story had dropped one spot to number two on the search list. Google commented that its software algorithms use hundreds of factors to determine the ranking.[\[75\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-75) ### Disinfomedia \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=18 "Edit section: Disinfomedia")\] In addition to disconnected sites that run on an inadequate budget, there are sites with many connections behind them: Jestin Coler from [Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles "Los Angeles") founded Disinfomedia, a company that owns many fake news sites.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) He gave interviews under a [pseudonym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym "Pseudonym"), Allen Montgomery.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) With the help of tech-company engineer John Jansen, journalists from [NPR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPR "NPR") found Coler's identity.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) Coler explained how his intent for his project backfired; he wanted to expose alt-right [echo chambers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_chamber_$media$ "Echo chamber (media)"), and point out their gullibility.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) He stated his company wrote fake articles for the [left wing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics "Left-wing politics") that were not shared as much as those from a [right-wing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics "Right-wing politics") point of view.[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-laurasydell-16) ### National Report and News Examiner \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=19 "Edit section: National Report and News Examiner")\] Both of these fake news websites heavily profited through the use of clickbait headlines, which were usually false. [Paul Horner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Horner "Paul Horner"), a lead writer at both of these websites, focused significantly on the election, since it drew strong ad revenue. He told [The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post "The Washington Post") he made \$10,000 per month through ads linked to fake news.[\[76\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-thehollywoodreporter-76)[\[77\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nathanmcalone-77)[\[78\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-theplaindealer-78) After the election, Horner said that he felt his efforts helped Trump.[\[79\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-fakenewswriter-79) In a follow-up interview with [Rolling Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone "Rolling Stone"), Horner revealed The Washington Post profile piece on him spurred increased interest with over 60 interview requests from media including [ABC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News_$United_States$ "ABC News (United States)"), [CBS News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_News "CBS News"), and CBS's [Inside Edition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Edition "Inside Edition").[\[80\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hedegaard-80) Horner explained his writing style: articles that appeared legitimate at the top and became increasingly absurd as the reader progressed.[\[80\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hedegaard-80) These two websites often referenced each other.[\[42\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:11-42) ### Christian Times Newspaper \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=20 "Edit section: Christian Times Newspaper")\] In an interview with The New York Times, Cameron Harris of Annapolis, Maryland, explains how he profited from creating fake news on his website, ChristianTimesNewspaper.com, that included a false story claiming that premarked ballots for Mrs. Clinton were being held in boxes at a warehouse in Ohio.[\[81\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nytimes2017-81)[\[82\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-82) Within a few days, the story had earned him around \$5,000.[\[81\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-nytimes2017-81) ### KMT 11 News \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=21 "Edit section: KMT 11 News")\] During the summer of 2016, KMT 11 News published a series of fake news stories regarding celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns. These towns included [Brentwood, Tennessee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brentwood,_Tennessee "Brentwood, Tennessee"),[\[83\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-83) [Chandler, Arizona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler,_Arizona "Chandler, Arizona"),[\[84\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-84) and [Atlantic City, New Jersey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_City,_New_Jersey "Atlantic City, New Jersey").[\[85\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-85)[\[86\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-86) ## Spread and identification of fake news \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=22 "Edit section: Spread and identification of fake news")\] 44 percent of all US adults get news from [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook").[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) Investigations conducted in 2017 showed nearly 40 percent of content by far-right Facebook pages and 19 percent of far-left pages were false or misleading.[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) In the 10 months leading up to the [2016 presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election "2016 United States presidential election"), 20 fake news articles shared on Facebook dramatically increased from 3 million shares, reactions, and comments to nearly 9 million.[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) Mainstream media articles, on the other hand, declined from 12 million shares, reactions, and comments in February to only 7.3 million by Election Day.[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:0-87) In 2019 [Christine Michel Carter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Michel_Carter "Christine Michel Carter"), a writer who has reported on [Generation Alpha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Alpha "Generation Alpha") for Forbes stated that one-third of the generation can decipher false or misleading information in the media.[\[88\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-88) A study conducted by the [Stanford Graduate School of Education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Graduate_School_of_Education "Stanford Graduate School of Education") from January 2015 revealed difficulties that middle, high school, and college students experienced in differentiating between advertisements and news articles, or identifying where information originated.[\[89\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89) One concern noted by researchers of the study is that democracy is at risk of devolving due to the ways in which falsehoods about civic issues can quickly spread with a growing ease of access. In one assessment, high school students were asked to evaluate two Facebook posts mentioning [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump "Donald Trump")'s candidacy for president; one was from an actual [Fox News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News "Fox News") account and the other was from a fake account.[\[89\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89) Over 30 percent of students stated that the fake account was more reliable because of its graphic elements and only a quarter recognized the significance of the blue checkmark on [Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter "Twitter") and Facebook, which indicates that an account was marked as legitimate.[\[89\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:1-89) ## U.S. response \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=23 "Edit section: U.S. response")\] ### Educational \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=24 "Edit section: Educational")\] Elementary school teachers have decided to challenge results from the Stanford study by showing children the importance of not being deceived by what is fake. Fifth grade teacher Scott Bedley in California created his own version of "[Simon Says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Says "Simon Says")", in which students are given three minutes to read an article and decide whether a news story is true or false.[\[90\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90) Bedley worked with another teacher in Kansas, Todd Flory, to devise a "fake news challenge" via [Skype](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype "Skype") whereby Flory's class picked two real articles and wrote a fake one, to be presented to Bedley's class in California.[\[90\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90) Teachers are promoting these learning techniques with the hope that such strategies and skills will stay with their students' for the rest of their adolescent and adult lives.[\[90\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:2-90)[\[91\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-91) Andreas Schleicher, the lead of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), announced in 2017 that his organization was initiating "global competencies" tests that will be taken by 15-year-olds around the world alongside the OECD's current reading, maths and science assessments, which are conducted every three years. This will test how well students can discern fake news outside of their sociopolitical bubble.[\[92\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-92) Jennifer Coogan, editor in chief of education startup Newsela, has partnered with the [American Press Institute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Press_Institute "American Press Institute") to help combat fake news consumption in addition to its regular literacy classes. She believes it is now the teacher's responsibility to help teach their students about which media to believe since it is near impossible for a parent to monitor every source that a child will read.[\[93\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-93) ### Commercial \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=25 "Edit section: Commercial")\] #### Facebook \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=26 "Edit section: Facebook")\] See also: [Criticism of Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook "Criticism of Facebook") After receiving heavy criticism for not stopping the extreme number of fake news articles on its platform, [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook") announced in December 2016 that it would begin to flag fake news. If enough users flagged a story, the story would be sent to a third-party organization to check its veracity. If it failed, it would lose news feed priority as well as have "disputed by 3rd party fact-checkers" as a caption. Facebook is also attempting to reduce their financial incentives in an attempt to decrease the amount of fake news. The [fact checking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact-checking "Fact-checking") organizations involved are [ABC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News_$United_States$ "ABC News (United States)"), [Associated Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press "Associated Press"), [FactCheck.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FactCheck.org "FactCheck.org"), [PolitiFact](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PolitiFact "PolitiFact") and [Snopes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com "Snopes.com").[\[94\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:3-94)[\[95\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-95)[\[96\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-96) In 2018, Facebook has admitted that it "fell short" in stopping outside meddling in the U.S. presidential election. This admission comes after increased scrutiny from lawmakers in a broader backlash against Silicon Valley as well as a Senate hearing for social media company executives.[\[97\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-97) In today's world young people rely heavily on social media to access information that is broadcast on the news. Many teens described traditional news as "boring" and "the same", implying that it was predictable and devoid of any questioning of power. In contrast, they felt that Facebook postings, YouTube videos, blogs, opinionated talk shows and fake news provided background information and perspectives that enabled them to understand the larger meanings of political events and develop their own opinions. For them, this was a more truthful and authentic rendition of news.[\[98\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-98) #### Fact-checking organizations \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=27 "Edit section: Fact-checking organizations")\] See also: [Fake news website § Fact-checking websites and journalists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website#Fact-checking_websites_and_journalists "Fake news website") In the aftermath of the election, many fact-checking websites teamed up with Facebook in order to check on the veracity of linked articles.[\[94\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:3-94) Many of these organizations have also posted lists of fake news websites and guides on how to identify them.[\[99\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-99)[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:10-19) ### Governmental \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=28 "Edit section: Governmental")\] #### Legislative \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=29 "Edit section: Legislative")\] Members of the [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence "United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence") traveled to Ukraine and Poland in March 2016 and heard from officials in both countries on Russian operations to influence their affairs.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) U.S. Senator [Angus King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_King "Angus King") told the [Portland Press Herald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Press_Herald "Portland Press Herald") that tactics used by Russia during the 2016 U.S. election were analogous to those used against other countries.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) King recalled the legislators were informed by officials from both Ukraine and Poland about Russian tactics of "planting fake news stories" during elections.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100) On November 20, 2016, King joined a letter in which seven members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee asked President Obama to publicize more information from the intelligence community on Russia's role in the U.S. election.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-angusking-100)[\[101\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-kingamong-101) In an interview with CNN, Senator King warned against ignoring the problem, saying it was a bipartisan issue.[\[102\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-hackingdeclassified-102) Amid worries about fake news and [disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") being spread by Russia, representatives in the [U.S. Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress "United States Congress") called for more action to track and counter alleged propaganda emanating from overseas.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) On November 20, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the [National Defense Authorization Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act "National Defense Authorization Act") to ask the [U.S. State Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State "United States Department of State") act against propaganda with an inter-agency panel.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) The legislation authorized funding of \$160 million over a two-year-period.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) The initiative was developed through a [bipartisan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan "Bipartisan") bill, the [Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_and_Disinformation_Act "Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act"), written by U.S. Senators Republican [Rob Portman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Portman "Rob Portman") and Democrat [Chris Murphy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Murphy "Chris Murphy").[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) Portman urged more U.S. government action to counter propaganda.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) Murphy said after the election it was apparent the U.S. needed additional tactics to fight Russian propaganda.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence "United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence") member [Ron Wyden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Wyden "Ron Wyden") said frustration over covert Russian propaganda was bipartisan.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-combatpropaganda-103) Republican U.S. Senators stated they planned to hold hearings and investigate Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) By doing so they went against the preference of incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who downplayed any potential Russian meddling in the election.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) [U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Armed_Services "United States Senate Committee on Armed Services") Chairman [John McCain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain "John McCain") and [U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence "United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence") Chairman [Richard Burr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burr "Richard Burr") discussed plans for collaboration on investigations of Russian [cyberwarfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwarfare "Cyberwarfare") during the election.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) [U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Foreign_Relations "United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations") Chairman [Bob Corker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Corker "Bob Corker") planned a 2017 investigation.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) Senator [Lindsey Graham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsey_Graham "Lindsey Graham") indicated he would conduct a sweeping investigation in the [115th U.S. Congress session](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/115th_United_States_Congress "115th United States Congress").[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-republicansready-104) #### FTC \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=30 "Edit section: FTC")\] In 2013, the [Federal Trade Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission "Federal Trade Commission"), as part of a campaign to crack down on bogus health claims, charged over \$1.6 million to Beony International, owner Mario Milanovic, and Beony International employee Cody Adams. They conspired to promote their own weight loss products with fake news websites. These websites pretended to be legitimate news organizations and heavily promoted their [acai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acai "Acai") berry weight-loss products.[\[105\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-105)[\[106\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-106) #### Counter-Disinformation Team \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=31 "Edit section: Counter-Disinformation Team")\] \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png) \| \| \| \| \| \| ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Unbalanced_scales.svg/60px-Unbalanced_scales.svg.png) \| The [neutrality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view "Wikipedia:Neutral point of view") of this article is [disputed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:NPOV_dispute "Wikipedia:NPOV dispute"). Relevant discussion may be found on the [talk page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States "Talk:Fake news websites in the United States"). Please do not remove this message until [conditions to do so are met](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:POV#When_to_remove "Template:POV"). 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(November 2020) ([Learn how and when to remove this message](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal "Help:Maintenance template removal")) \| The [United States Department of State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State "United States Department of State") planned to use a unit called the Counter-Disinformation Team, formed with the intention of combating [disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") from the [Russian government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_government "Russian government"); it was disbanded in September 2015 after department heads missed the scope of propaganda before the [2016 U.S. election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election "2016 United States presidential election").[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107) The U.S. State Department put eight months into developing the unit before scrapping it.\[[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")\] It would have been a reboot of the [Active Measures Working Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Measures_Working_Group "Active Measures Working Group") set up by [President Reagan.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Ronald_Reagan "Presidency of Ronald Reagan")[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) The Counter-Disinformation Team was set up under the [Bureau of International Information Programs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_International_Information_Programs "Bureau of International Information Programs").[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) Work began in 2014, with the intention to combat propaganda from Russian sources such as [Russia Today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_Today "Russia Today").[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) [U.S. Intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Intelligence_Community "United States Intelligence Community") officials explained to former [National Security Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency "National Security Agency") analyst and [counterintelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterintelligence "Counterintelligence") officer John R. Schindler that the [Obama Administration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama "Presidency of Barack Obama") decided to cancel the unit as they were afraid of antagonizing Russia.[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107) [U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Secretary_of_State_for_Public_Diplomacy_and_Public_Affairs "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs") [Richard Stengel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stengel "Richard Stengel") was point person for the unit before it was canceled.[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:6-107)[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-:7-108) Stengel previously wrote about disinformation by Russia Today.[\[109\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-109)[\[110\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_note-110) ## See also \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=32 "Edit section: See also")\] - [![icon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg/40px-Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crystal_Clear_app_linneighborhood.svg)[Internet portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Internet "Portal:Internet") - [![icon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/A_coloured_voting_box.svg/40px-A_coloured_voting_box.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_coloured_voting_box.svg)[Politics portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Politics "Portal:Politics") - ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Psi2.svg/40px-Psi2.svg.png)[Psychology portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Psychology "Portal:Psychology") - [Confirmation bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias "Confirmation bias") - [Fake news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news "Fake news") - [Filter bubble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble "Filter bubble") - [List of conspiracy theories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories "List of conspiracy theories") - [List of fake news websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fake_news_websites "List of fake news websites") - [List of political disinformation website campaigns in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_disinformation_website_campaigns_in_the_United_States "List of political disinformation website campaigns in the United States") - [List of satirical news websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_satirical_news_websites "List of satirical news websites") - [Selective exposure theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_exposure_theory "Selective exposure theory") - [Spiral of silence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_of_silence "Spiral of silence") - [Fake news in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_in_the_United_States "Fake news in the United States") - [Fake news in India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_in_India "Fake news in India") - [Fake news in the Philippines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_in_the_Philippines "Fake news in the Philippines") - [Indian WhatsApp lynchings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_WhatsApp_lynchings "Indian WhatsApp lynchings") ## References \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=33 "Edit section: References")\] 1. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-1) Murphy, Paul P.; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (February 22, 2018). ["How the Florida school shooting conspiracies sprouted and spread"](https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/us/parkland-shooting-conspiracy-theories-trnd/index.html). CNN. Retrieved April 13, 2018. 2. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:8_2-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:8_2-1) Gillin, Joshua (April 20, 2017). ["PolitiFact's guide to fake news websites and what they peddle"](http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2017/apr/20/politifacts-guide-fake-news-websites-and-what-they/). PunditFact. Retrieved September 12, 2020. 3. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-3)* Wendling, Mike (December 2, 2016). ["'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38156985). BBC News. Retrieved April 13, 2018. 4. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-4) Bump, Philip (April 2, 2016). ["The pro-Trump fake news website that's finding an audience — with Trump's help"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/02/in-the-year-of-trump-a-made-up-news-website-run-by-an-ex-convict-finds-success/). [The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post "The Washington Post"). 5. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-5) Higgins, Andrew; McIntire, Mike; Dance, Gabriel J. X. (November 25, 2016). ["Inside a Fake News Sausage Factory: 'This Is All About Income'"](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/world/europe/fake-news-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-georgia.html). The New York Times. 6. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-6) Rensin, Emmett (June 5, 2014). ["The Great Satirical-News Scam of 2014"](https://newrepublic.com/article/118013/satire-news-websites-are-cashing-gullible-outraged-readers). The New Republic. Retrieved September 12, 2020. 7. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-7) Funke, Daniel (November 30, 2017). ["A satirical fake news site apologized for making a story too real"](https://www.poynter.org/news/satirical-fake-news-site-apologized-making-story-too-real). Poynter. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 8. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-russiadominates_8-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-russiadominates_8-1) Weisburd, Clint Watts\\|Andrew (August 6, 2016). ["How Russia Dominates Your Twitter Feed to Promote Lies (And, Trump, Too)"](https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/06/how-russia-dominates-your-twitter-feed-to-promote-lies-and-trump-too). The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 13, 2018. 9. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-snopesfieldguide_9-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-snopesfieldguide_9-1) LaCapria, Kim (November 2, 2016). ["Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors – Snopes.com's updated guide to the internet's clickbaiting, news-faking, social media exploiting dark side"](http://www.snopes.com/2016/01/14/fake-news-sites/). [Snopes.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com "Snopes.com"). Retrieved November 19, 2016. 10. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-divideeurope_10-0)* Lewis Sanders IV (October 11, 2016). ["'Divide Europe': European lawmakers warn of Russian propaganda"](http://www.dw.com/en/divide-europe-european-lawmakers-warn-of-russian-propaganda/a-36016836). [Deutsche Welle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Welle "Deutsche Welle"). Retrieved November 24, 2016. 11. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-tavernise_11-3) Tavernise, Sabrina (December 6, 2016). ["As Fake News Spreads Lies, More Readers Shrug at the Truth"](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/us/fake-news-partisan-republican-democrat.html). The New York Times. p. A1. "Narrowly defined, 'fake news' means a made-up story with an intention to deceive, often geared toward getting clicks." 12. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-12)* Chen, Adrian (July 27, 2016). ["The Real Paranoia-Inducing Purpose of Russian Hacks"](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-real-paranoia-inducing-purpose-of-russian-hacks). The New Yorker. 13. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:4_13-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:4_13-1) Tynan, Dan (August 24, 2016). ["How Facebook powers money machines for obscure political 'news' sites"](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/24/facebook-clickbait-political-news-sites-us-election-trump). the Guardian. Retrieved April 13, 2018. 14. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-14)* Gilbert, Ben. ["Fed up with fake news, Facebook users are solving the problem with a simple list"](http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-users-crowdsource-fake-news-document-2016-11). Business Insider. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 15. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-Inc.com_15-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-Inc.com_15-1) Townsend, Tess (November 22, 2016). ["The Bizarre Truth Behind the Biggest Pro-Trump Facebook Hoaxes"](http://www.inc.com/tess-townsend/ending-fed-trump-facebook.html). Inc.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 16. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-3) [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-4) [f](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-5) [g](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-laurasydell_16-6) Sydell, Laura (November 23, 2016). ["We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned"](https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/11/23/503146770/npr-finds-the-head-of-a-covert-fake-news-operation-in-the-suburbs). [All Things Considered](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Considered "All Things Considered"). [NPR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPR "NPR"). Retrieved November 26, 2016. 17. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-17)* ["Probe reveals stunning stats about fake election headlines on Facebook"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-fake-election-news-more-popular-than-real-news-buzzfeed-investigation/). CBS News. November 17, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 18. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-18) Mikkelson, David (November 10, 2013). ["FACT CHECK: Is This a Photograph of a 12-Week Fetus?"](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/baby-boon/). Snopes. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 19. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:10_19-2) Kiely, Eugene; Robertson, Lori (November 18, 2016). ["How to Spot Fake News – FactCheck.org"](https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/). FactCheck.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 20. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-20)* Crookes, David (2014). "Clickbait". Web User. No. 354. pp. 36–37\. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [1581413325](https://www.proquest.com/docview/1581413325). 21. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-21) de la Merced, Michael J.; Goldstein, Matthew (July 14, 2015). ["Twitter Shares Jump After Faked Bloomberg Report"](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/business/dealbook/twitter-shares-jump-after-fake-bloomberg-report.html). The New York Times. 22. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-22) Kokalitcheva, Kia. ["Fake Bloomberg News Report Drives Twitter Stock Up 8%"](http://fortune.com/2015/07/14/fake-twitter-bloomberg-report/). Fortune. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 23. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-23) Ball, James; Judge, Danny. ["Fake News Site Uses Stephen Hawking To Sell Get-Rich-Quick Scheme"](https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamesball/fake-news-site-uses-professor-stephen-hawking-to-sell-get-ri). BuzzFeed. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 24. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-24) Scialom, Mike (January 19, 2017). ["Faking it: Unravelling a fake news story involving Stephen Hawking"](http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/business/business-news/faking-it-unravelling-fake-news-12468676). cambridgenews. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 25. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-columbia_25-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-columbia_25-1) Murtha, Jack (May 26, 2016). ["How fake news sites frequently trick big-time journalists"](https://www.cjr.org/analysis/how_fake_news_sites_frequently_trick_big-time_journalists.php). [Columbia Journalism Review](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Journalism_Review "Columbia Journalism Review"). Retrieved October 3, 2017. 26. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-26)* Woody, Christopher (July 9, 2016). ["Mexico's government shut down rumors of 'El Chapo' Guzmán's escape with this one photo"](http://www.businessinsider.com/el-chapo-escape-rumors-mexican-government-photo-2016-7). [Business Insider](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Insider "Business Insider"). 27. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-27) Lubbers, Eric (November 5, 2016). ["There is no such thing as the Denver Guardian, despite that Facebook post you saw"](http://www.denverpost.com/2016/11/05/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-denver-guardian/). [The Denver Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Denver_Post "The Denver Post"). 28. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-28) "Typosquatting". VARbusiness. 22 (21): 28. October 16, 2006. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [194170227](https://www.proquest.com/docview/194170227). 29. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-29) Weise, Elizabeth (December 1, 2016). ["Hackers use typosquatting to dupe the unwary with fake news, sites"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/01/hackers-use-typo-squatting-lure-unwary-url-hijacking/94683460/). USA Today. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 30. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-30) ["Video: Websites Fake Credentials to Help People Get Hired"](https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/websites-fake-credentials-people-hired-24136909). ABC News. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 31. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-31) Editorial Board (November 12, 2019). ["Editorial: Google banned 7 Trump ads but it won't say why. That's wrong"](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/story/2019-11-12/google-trump-political-ads-facebook-youtube). San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 15, 2021. 32. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-32) Bunis, Dena. ["Get Ready For the Start of the 2020 Election"](https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2020/overview.html). AARP. 61 (1): 6. 33. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-33) Deagon, Brian (February 21, 2020). ["Fake News In 2020 Election Puts Social Media Companies Under Siege"](https://www.investors.com/news/technology/fake-news-2020-election-puts-social-media-companies-under-siege/). Investor's Business Daily. [ProQuest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProQuest "ProQuest") [2359659273](https://www.proquest.com/docview/2359659273). 34. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-34) Cindy L., Otis (July 19, 2019). ["Americans could be a bigger fake news threat than Russians in the 2020 presidential campaign"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/07/19/disinformation-attacks-americans-threaten-2020-election-column/1756092001/). USA Today. 35. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-35) Holan, Angie Drobnic (December 13, 2016). ["2016 Lie of the Year: Fake news"](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/dec/13/2016-lie-year-fake-news/). PolitiFact. Retrieved September 13, 2020. 36. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:12_36-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:12_36-1) Allcott, Hunt; Gentzkow, Matthew (Spring 2017). ["Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election"](https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/fakenews.pdf) (PDF). Journal of Economic Perspectives. 31* (2): 211–236\. 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["How Consumer Brands- And America- Can Prepare Themselves For Generation Alpha"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2019/12/09/how-consumer-brandsand-americacan-prepare-themselves-for-generation-alpha/). Forbes. Retrieved June 20, 2023. 89. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:1_89-2) Donald, Brooke (November 21, 2016). ["Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online"](https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-researchers-find-students-have-trouble-judging-credibility-information-online). Stanford University. 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[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-95)* ["Facebook's 'Fake News' Initiative"](https://www.factcheck.org/2016/12/facebooks-fake-news-initiative/). FactCheck.org. December 22, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 96. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-96) Lee, Timothy B. ["Facebook's fake news problem, explained"](https://www.vox.com/new-money/2016/11/16/13637310/facebook-fake-news-explained). Vox. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 97. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-97) Phillips, Kristine (January 22, 2018). ["Facebook admits social media sometimes harms democracy"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/22/facebook-admits-it-sometimes-harms-democracy/). The Washington Post. 98. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-98) Marchi, Regina (October 3, 2012). ["With Facebook, Blogs, and Fake News, Teens Reject Journalistic 'Objectivity'"](https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/With-Facebook-blogs-and-fake-news/991031619048804646). Journal of Communication Inquiry. 36 (3): 246–262\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_$identifier$ "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1177/0196859912458700](https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0196859912458700). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [145374582](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:145374582). 99. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-99) ["PolitiFact's guide to fake news websites"](http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2017/apr/20/politifacts-guide-fake-news-websites-and-what-they/). PunditFact. Retrieved April 17, 2018. 100. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-angusking_100-3) Miller, Kevin (December 1, 2016). ["Angus King: Russian involvement in U.S. election 'an arrow aimed at the heart of democracy'"](http://www.pressherald.com/2016/12/01/sen-king-russian-involvement-in-u-s-election-an-arrow-aimed-at-the-heart-of-democracy/). [Portland Press Herald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Press_Herald "Portland Press Herald"). Retrieved December 2, 2016. 101. 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Retrieved December 3, 2016. 103. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-3) [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-4) [f](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-5) [g](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-combatpropaganda_103-6) Timberg, Craig (November 30, 2016). ["Effort to combat foreign propaganda advances in Congress"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/effort-to-combat-foreign-propaganda-advances-in-congress/2016/11/30/9147e1ac-e221-47be-ab92-9f2f7e69d452_story.html). The Washington Post. 104. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-3) [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-republicansready_104-4) Demirjian, Karoun (December 8, 2016). ["Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump's stance"](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-senate-probe-russia-trump-20161208-story.html). [Chicago Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune "Chicago Tribune"). [The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post "The Washington Post"). Retrieved December 10, 2016. 105. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-105)* ["FTC Permanently Stops Fake News Website Operator that Allegedly Deceived Consumers about Acai Berry Weight-Loss Products"](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2013/02/ftc-permanently-stops-fake-news-website-operator-allegedly). Federal Trade Commission. February 7, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 106. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-106) ["TC Reaches \$1.6 Million Settlement with Beony \\| MLM Law"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190325134127/https://www.mlmlaw.com/ftc-concludes-crackdown-on-fake-news-sites-with-1-6-million-beony-settlements/). www.mlmlaw.com. Archived from [the original](https://www.mlmlaw.com/ftc-concludes-crackdown-on-fake-news-sites-with-1-6-million-beony-settlements/) on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2018. 107. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-3) [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-4) [f](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-:6_107-5) Schindler, John R. (November 5, 2015). ["Obama Fails to Fight Putin's Propaganda Machine"](https://observer.com/2015/11/obama-fails-to-fight-putins-propaganda-machine/). Observer. 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[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-110) LoGiurato, Brett. ["RT Is Very Upset With John Kerry For Blasting Them As Putin's 'Propaganda Bullhorn'"](http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kerry-rt-propaganda-bullhorn-russia-today-2014-4). Business Insider. Retrieved April 17, 2018. ## Further reading \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=34 "Edit section: Further reading")\] [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Wikinews-logo.svg/40px-Wikinews-logo.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikinews-logo.svg) Wikinews has related news: - [Wikinews investigates: Advertisements disguised as news articles trick unknowing users out of money, credit card information](https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews_investigates:_Advertisements_disguised_as_news_articles_trick_unknowing_users_out_of_money,_credit_card_information "wikinews:Wikinews investigates: Advertisements disguised as news articles trick unknowing users out of money, credit card information") - [Chris Hedges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hedges "Chris Hedges") (December 18, 2016). ["'Fake News': Homegrown, and Far From New"](https://www.truthdig.com/articles/fake-news-in-america-homegrown-and-far-from-new/). [Truthdig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthdig "Truthdig"). - Jamie Condliffe (November 15, 2016). ["Facebook's Fake-News Ad Ban Is Not Enough"](https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/11/15/156014/facebooks-fake-news-ad-ban-is-not-enough/). [MIT Technology Review](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_Technology_Review "MIT Technology Review"). - Cassandra Jaramillo (November 15, 2016). ["How to break it to your friends and family that they're sharing fake news"](https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2017/11/17/how-to-break-it-to-your-friends-and-family-that-they-re-sharing-fake-news/). [The Dallas Morning News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dallas_Morning_News "The Dallas Morning News"). - [Craig Silverman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Silverman "Craig Silverman"); Lawrence Alexander (November 3, 2016). ["How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News"](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo). [BuzzFeed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed "BuzzFeed"). - Ishmael N. Daro; [Craig Silverman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Silverman "Craig Silverman") (November 15, 2016). ["Fake News Sites Are Not Terribly Worried About Google Kicking Them Off AdSense"](https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishmaeldaro/fake-news-sites-adsense). [BuzzFeed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed "BuzzFeed"). - Craig Silverman (November 16, 2016). ["Viral Fake Election News Outperformed Real News On Facebook In Final Months Of The US Election"](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-on-facebook). [BuzzFeed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed "BuzzFeed"). - Taylor, Adam (November 26, 2016). ["Before 'fake news,' there was Soviet 'disinformation'"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/26/before-fake-news-there-was-soviet-disinformation). The Washington Post. - Andrew Weisburd; [Clint Watts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Watts "Clint Watts"); [J.M. Berger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.M._Berger "J.M. Berger") (November 6, 2016). ["Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy"](http://warontherocks.com/2016/11/trolling-for-trump-how-russia-is-trying-to-destroy-our-democracy/). War on the Rocks. - Elizabeth Schumacher (January 4, 2018). ["Fake news 'casts wide net but has little effect'"](http://www.dw.com/en/fake-news-casts-wide-net-but-has-little-effect/a-42029486). [Deutsche Welle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Welle "Deutsche Welle"). - [Dominick Sokotoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominick_Sokotoff&action=edit&redlink=1 "Dominick Sokotoff (page does not exist)"); Katherina Sourine (November 1, 2019). ["Pseudo local news sites reveal nationally expanding network"](https://www.michigandaily.com/community-affairs/pseudo-local-news-sites-michigan-reveal-nationally-expanding-network/). [The Michigan Daily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Michigan_Daily "The Michigan Daily"). - Lazer, David M. J.; Baum, Matthew A.; Benkler, Yochai; Berinsky, Adam J.; Greenhill, Kelly M.; Menczer, Filippo; Metzger, Miriam J.; Nyhan, Brendan; Pennycook, Gordon; Rothschild, David; Schudson, Michael; Sloman, Steven A.; Sunstein, Cass R.; Thorson, Emily A.; Watts, Duncan J.; Zittrain, Jonathan L. (March 9, 2018). "The science of fake news". Science. 359 (6380): 1094–1096\. [arXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv_$identifier$ "ArXiv (identifier)"):[2307\.07903](https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.07903). [Bibcode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibcode_$identifier$ "Bibcode (identifier)"):[2018Sci...359.1094L](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018Sci...359.1094L). [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_$identifier$ "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1126/science.aao2998](https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.aao2998). [PMID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID_$identifier$ "PMID (identifier)") [29590025](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29590025). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [4410672](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4410672). - Shu, Kai; Sliva, Amy; Wang, Suhang; Tang, Jiliang; Liu, Huan (September 2017). "Fake News Detection on Social Media". ACM SIGKDD Explorations Newsletter. 19 (1): 22–36\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_$identifier$ "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1145/3137597.3137600](https://doi.org/10.1145%2F3137597.3137600). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [207718082](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:207718082). - Tandoc, Edson C.; Lim, Zheng Wei; Ling, Richard (August 30, 2017). "Defining 'Fake News'". Digital Journalism. 6 (2): 137–153\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_$identifier$ "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1080/21670811.2017.1360143](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F21670811.2017.1360143). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [158143268](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:158143268). - Guess, Andrew; Nyhan, Brenden; Reifler, Jason (2018). Selective Exposure to Misinformation: Evidence from the Consumption of Fake News during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign (Report). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [158536258](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:158536258). - Pennycook, Gordon; Rand, David G. (July 2019). "Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning". Cognition. 188: 39–50\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_$identifier$ "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1016/j.cognition.2018.06.011](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cognition.2018.06.011). [PMID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID_$identifier$ "PMID (identifier)") [29935897](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29935897). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_$identifier$ "S2CID (identifier)") [49418191](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:49418191). [SSRN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRN_$identifier$ "SSRN (identifier)") [3165567](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3165567). - Paula Span (September 11, 2020), ["Getting Wise to Fake News"](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/health/misinformation-social-media-elderly.html), The New York Times, "Older adults are particularly vulnerable to misinformation on social media" ## External links \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=35 "Edit section: External links")\] [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg) Look up *[spamvertise](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spamvertise "wiktionary:spamvertise")* in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. - Kim LaCapria (November 2, 2016). ["Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors"](https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/01/14/fake-news-sites/). [Snopes.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com "Snopes.com"). - Rachel Dicker (November 14, 2016). ["Avoid These Fake News Sites at All Costs"](https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-11-14/avoid-these-fake-news-sites-at-all-costs). [U.S. News & World Report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._News_%26_World_Report "U.S. News & World Report"). - Lori Robertson; Eugene Kiely (November 18, 2016). ["How to Spot Fake News"](http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/). [FactCheck.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FactCheck.org "FactCheck.org"). [Annenberg Public Policy Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annenberg_Public_Policy_Center "Annenberg Public Policy Center"). - Jared Keller (November 19, 2016). ["This Critique of Fake Election News Is a Must-Read for All Democracy Lovers"](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/11/meet-professor-of-fake-news-facebook). [Mother Jones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Jones_$magazine$ "Mother Jones (magazine)"). - Lance Ulanoff (November 18, 2016). ["7 signs the news you're sharing is fake"](http://mashable.com/2016/11/17/6-signs-of-fake-news). [Mashable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashable "Mashable"). - Laura Hautala (November 19, 2016). ["How to avoid getting conned by fake news sites – Here's how you can identify and avoid sites that just want to serve up ads next to outright falsehoods"](https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-avoid-getting-conned-by-fake-news-sites/). [CNET](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNET "CNET"). - [Sreenivasan, Hari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Sreenivasan "Hari Sreenivasan") (November 17, 2016). [How online hoaxes and fake news played a role in the election](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW-dg_IU3uM). [PBS NewsHour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBS_NewsHour "PBS NewsHour") – via YouTube. \| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Media_manipulation "Template:Media manipulation") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Media_manipulation "Template talk:Media manipulation") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Media_manipulation "Special:EditPage/Template:Media manipulation")[Media manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_manipulation "Media manipulation") \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Context \| [Bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias "Media bias") [Crowd psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_psychology "Crowd psychology") [Deception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception "Deception") [Dumbing down](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbing_down "Dumbing down") [False balance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_balance "False balance") [Half-truths](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-truth "Half-truth") [Media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media "Mass media") [Obfuscation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obfuscation "Obfuscation") [Persuasion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion "Persuasion") [Manipulation (psychology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulation_$psychology$ "Manipulation (psychology)") \| \| [Activism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activism "Activism") \| [Advocacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy "Advocacy") [group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy_group "Advocacy group") [Alternative media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_media "Alternative media") [Boycott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott "Boycott") [Call-out culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call-out_culture "Call-out culture") [Cancel culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture "Cancel culture") [Civil disobedience](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience "Civil disobedience") [Culture jamming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming "Culture jamming") [Demonstrations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_demonstration "Political demonstration") [Deplatforming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deplatforming "Deplatforming") [Grassroots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots "Grassroots") [Guerrilla communication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_communication "Guerrilla communication") [Hacktivism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivism "Hacktivism") [Internet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_activism "Internet activism") [Media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_activism "Media activism") [Occupations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_$protest$ "Occupation (protest)") [Petitions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition "Petition") [Protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest "Protest") [Youth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_activism "Youth activism") \| \| [Advertising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising "Advertising") \| [Advertorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertorial "Advertorial")/[Native advertising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_advertising "Native advertising") [Billboards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard "Billboard") [False](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising "False advertising") [Infomercials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomercial "Infomercial") [Mobiles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_marketing "Mobile marketing") [Modeling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotional_model "Promotional model") [Radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_advertisement "Radio advertisement") [Sex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_in_advertising "Sex in advertising") [Slogans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_slogan "Advertising slogan") [Testimonials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimonial "Testimonial") [TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_advertisement "Television advertisement") [Criticism of advertising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_advertising "Criticism of advertising") [Annoyance factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annoyance_factor "Annoyance factor") \| \| [Censorship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship "Censorship") and [mass media regulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media_regulation "Mass media regulation") \| [Books](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship "Book censorship") [Broadcast law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_law "Broadcast law") [Burying of scholars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars "Burning of books and burying of scholars") [Catch and kill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_and_kill "Catch and kill") [Corporate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_censorship "Corporate censorship") [Cover-ups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover-up "Cover-up") [Euphemism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism "Euphemism") [Films](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_censorship "Film censorship") [Historical negationism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_negationism "Historical negationism") [Internet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship "Internet censorship") [Political](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_censorship "Political censorship") [Religious](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_censorship "Religious censorship") [Self](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-censorship "Self-censorship") \| \| [Hoaxing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoax "Hoax") \| [Alternative facts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts "Alternative facts") [April Fools'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools%27_Day "April Fools' Day") [Deepfake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake "Deepfake") [audio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_deepfake "Audio deepfake") [Fake news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news "Fake news") [websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website "Fake news website") [Fakelore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakelore "Fakelore") [Fictitious entries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_entry "Fictitious entry") [Firehose of falsehood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firehose_of_falsehood "Firehose of falsehood") [Forgery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgery "Forgery") [Gaslighting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting "Gaslighting") [List](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hoaxes "List of hoaxes") [Literary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_forgery "Literary forgery") [Lying press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_press "Lying press") [Photograph manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photograph_manipulation "Photograph manipulation") [Racial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_hoax "Racial hoax") [Urban legend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_legends_and_myths "Urban legends and myths") [Virus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_hoax "Virus hoax") [Video manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_manipulation "Video manipulation") \| \| [Marketing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing "Marketing") \| [Branding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand "Brand") [Loyalty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_marketing "Loyalty marketing") [Product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_marketing "Product marketing") [Product placement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement "Product placement") [Publicity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicity "Publicity") [Research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_research "Market research") [Word of mouth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing "Word-of-mouth marketing") \| \| [News media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_media "News media") \| [Agenda-setting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory "Agenda-setting theory") [Broadcasting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_broadcasting "News broadcasting") [Circus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_circus "Media circus") [Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_news_cycle "24-hour news cycle") [Emotive conjugation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotive_conjugation "Emotive conjugation") [False balance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_balance "False balance") [Infotainment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infotainment "Infotainment") [Managing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managing_the_news "Managing the news") [Narcotizing dysfunction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcotizing_dysfunction "Narcotizing dysfunction") [Newspeak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak "Newspeak") [Pseudo-event](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_event "Media event") [Scrum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_scrum "Media scrum") [Sensationalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalism "Sensationalism") [Tabloid journalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_journalism "Tabloid journalism") \| \| [Political campaigning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_campaign "Political campaign") \| [Advertising](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_advertising "Campaign advertising") [Astroturfing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing "Astroturfing") [Attack ad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_ad "Attack ad") [Canvassing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canvassing "Canvassing") [Character assassination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_assassination "Character assassination") [Dog whistle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_$politics$ "Dog whistle (politics)") [Election promises](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_promise "Election promise") [Lawn signs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_sign "Lawn sign") [Party platforms (or manifestos)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_platform "Party platform") [Name recognition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_recognition "Name recognition") [Negative](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_campaigning "Negative campaigning") [Push polling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll "Push poll") [Smear campaign](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smear_campaign "Smear campaign") [Wedge issue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge_issue "Wedge issue") \| \| [Propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda "Propaganda") \| [Bandwagon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect "Bandwagon effect") [Big lie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie "Big lie") [Crowd manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_manipulation "Crowd manipulation") [Disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") [Fearmongering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearmongering "Fearmongering") [Framing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_$social_sciences$ "Framing (social sciences)") [Indoctrination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoctrination "Indoctrination") [Loaded language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_language "Loaded language") [National mythology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_myth "National myth") [Rally 'round the flag effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_%27round_the_flag_effect "Rally 'round the flag effect") [Techniques](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques "Propaganda techniques") \| \| [Psychological warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare "Psychological warfare") \| [Airborne leaflets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda "Airborne leaflet propaganda") [False flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag "False flag") [Fifth column](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_column "Fifth column") [Information (IT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_warfare "Information warfare") [Lawfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare "Lawfare") [Political](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_warfare "Political warfare") [Public diplomacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_diplomacy "Public diplomacy") [Sedition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition "Sedition") [Subversion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversion "Subversion") \| \| [Public relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations "Public relations") \| [Cult of personality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_personality "Cult of personality") [Doublespeak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublespeak "Doublespeak") [Non-apology apology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-apology_apology "Non-apology apology") [Reputation management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management "Reputation management") [Slogans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan "Slogan") [Sound bites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_bite "Sound bite") [Spin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_$propaganda$ "Spin (propaganda)") [Transfer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_$propaganda$ "Transfer (propaganda)") [Understatement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understatement "Understatement") [Weasel words](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word "Weasel word") [Corporate propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_propaganda "Corporate propaganda") \| \| [Sales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales "Sales") \| [Cold calling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_calling "Cold calling") [Door-to-door](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door-to-door "Door-to-door") [Pricing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pricing "Pricing") [Product demonstrations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_demonstration "Product demonstration") [Promotion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_promotion "Sales promotion") [Spaving](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaving "Spaving") [Promotional merchandise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotional_merchandise "Promotional merchandise") [Telemarketing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemarketing "Telemarketing") \| \| Related \| [Influence-for-hire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence-for-hire "Influence-for-hire") [Media bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias "Media bias") [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias_in_the_United_States "Media bias in the United States") [Media concentration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership "Concentration of media ownership") [Media democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_democracy "Media democracy") [Media ecology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ecology "Media ecology") [Media ethics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ethics "Media ethics") [Media franchise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_franchise "Media franchise") [Media influence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence_of_mass_media "Influence of mass media") [Media proprietor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_proprietor "Media proprietor") \| \| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Military_deception "Template:Military deception") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Military_deception "Template talk:Military deception") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Military_deception "Special:EditPage/Template:Military deception")[Military deception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_deception "Military deception") \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Techniques \| [Denial and deception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial_and_deception "Denial and deception") [Disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") [False flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag "False flag") [Information warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_warfare "Information warfare") [Maskirovka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_military_deception "Russian military deception") [Military camouflage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_camouflage "Military camouflage") [Psychological warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare "Psychological warfare") [Ruse de guerre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruse_de_guerre "Ruse de guerre") \| \| Equipment \| [Military dummy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dummy "Military dummy") [Decoy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy "Decoy") [Q-ship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship "Q-ship") \| \| Operations \| [World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II "World War II"): [Bertram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bertram "Operation Bertram") [Bodyguard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodyguard "Operation Bodyguard") \| \| Texts \| [The Art of War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War "The Art of War") \| \| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Propaganda "Template:Propaganda") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Propaganda "Template talk:Propaganda") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Propaganda "Special:EditPage/Template:Propaganda")[Propaganda techniques](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques "Propaganda techniques") \| \|---\| \| [Accusation in a mirror](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accusation_in_a_mirror "Accusation in a mirror") [Ad hominem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem "Ad hominem") [Appeal to fear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_fear "Appeal to fear") [Appeal to emotion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_emotion "Appeal to emotion") [Atrocity propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda "Atrocity propaganda") [Bandwagon effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect "Bandwagon effect") [Big lie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie "Big lie") [Black propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_propaganda "Black propaganda") [Blood libel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel "Blood libel") [Buzzword](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzword "Buzzword") [Cartographic propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographic_propaganda "Cartographic propaganda") [Computational propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_propaganda "Computational propaganda") [Censorship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship "Censorship") [Cherry picking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_picking "Cherry picking") [Cult of personality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_personality "Cult of personality") [Demonizing the enemy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonizing_the_enemy "Demonizing the enemy") [Disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation "Disinformation") [Dog whistle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_$politics$ "Dog whistle (politics)") [Doublespeak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublespeak "Doublespeak") [Emotive conjugation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotive_conjugation "Emotive conjugation") [Exaggeration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaggeration "Exaggeration") [False accusation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation "False accusation") [False balance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_balance "False balance") [False dilemma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma "False dilemma") [Fake news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website "Fake news website") [Fear, uncertainty, and doubt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt "Fear, uncertainty, and doubt") [Firehose of falsehood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firehose_of_falsehood "Firehose of falsehood") [Flag-waving](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag-waving "Flag-waving") [Framing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_$social_sciences$ "Framing (social sciences)") [Gish gallop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gish_gallop "Gish gallop") [Glittering generality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality "Glittering generality") [Half-truth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-truth "Half-truth") [Historical negationism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_negationism "Historical negationism") [Ideograph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideograph_$rhetoric$ "Ideograph (rhetoric)") [Indoctrination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoctrination "Indoctrination") [Lawfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare "Lawfare") [Loaded language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_language "Loaded language") [Newspeak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak "Newspeak") [Managing the news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managing_the_news "Managing the news") [Minimisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimisation_$psychology$ "Minimisation (psychology)") [Monumental propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumental_propaganda "Monumental propaganda") [Moralistic fallacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moralistic_fallacy "Moralistic fallacy") [New generation warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_generation_warfare "New generation warfare") [Obscurantism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscurantism "Obscurantism") [Overcomplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis "Analysis paralysis") [Oversimplification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oversimplification "Oversimplification") [Plain folks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_folks "Plain folks") [Psychological warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare "Psychological warfare") [Propaganda of the deed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_deed "Propaganda of the deed") [Public relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations "Public relations") [Rally 'round the flag effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_%27round_the_flag_effect "Rally 'round the flag effect") [Scapegoating](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating "Scapegoating") [Senbu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senbu "Senbu") [Shooting and crying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_and_crying "Shooting and crying") [Slogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan "Slogan") [Spin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_$propaganda$ "Spin (propaganda)") [Weasel word](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word "Weasel word") [Whataboutism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism "Whataboutism") [White propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_propaganda "White propaganda") \| \| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Template:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Template talk:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Special:EditPage/Template:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections")[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Events \| [DNC cyber attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee_cyber_attacks "Democratic National Committee cyber attacks") [GRU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRU_$Russian_Federation$ "GRU (Russian Federation)") [Fancy Bear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_Bear "Fancy Bear") [Guccifer 2.0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guccifer_2.0 "Guccifer 2.0") [SVR RF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Intelligence_Service_$Russia$ "Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)") [Cozy Bear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_Bear "Cozy Bear") [DCCC cyber attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Congressional_Campaign_Committee_cyber_attacks "Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee cyber attacks") [Leaks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_election_leaks "2016 United States election leaks") [DNC email leak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_National_Committee_email_leak "2016 Democratic National Committee email leak") [Podesta emails](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podesta_emails "Podesta emails") [WikiLeaks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks "WikiLeaks") [DCLeaks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DCLeaks "DCLeaks") [Pizzagate conspiracy theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory "Pizzagate conspiracy theory") [Social media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election "Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election") [IRA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency "Internet Research Agency") [Cambridge Analytica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica "Cambridge Analytica") [Fake news websites]() [Russia and BLM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_and_Black_Lives_Matter "Russia and Black Lives Matter") \| \| [Timelines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") \| [Topical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topical_timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Topical timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") [before July 2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") [July 2016 – election day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections_$July_2016_%E2%80%93_election_day$ "Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)") [Transition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_post-election_transition_following_Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections "Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections") [Jan–Jun 2017](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$January%E2%80%93June_2017$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2017)") [Jul–Dec 2017](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$July%E2%80%93December_2017$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2017)") [Jan–Jun 2018](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$January%E2%80%93June_2018$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2018)") [Jul–Dec 2018](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$July%E2%80%93December_2018$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)") [Jan–Jun 2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$January%E2%80%93June_2019$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (January–June 2019)") [Jul–Dec 2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$July%E2%80%93December_2019$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2019)") [2020–2022](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_into_Donald_Trump_and_Russia_$2020%E2%80%932022$ "Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2020–2022)") [Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelines_related_to_Donald_Trump_and_Russian_interference_in_United_States_elections "Timelines related to Donald Trump and Russian interference in United States elections") \| \| Post-election events \| \| \| \| \| \| [Mueller special counsel investigation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueller_special_counsel_investigation "Mueller special counsel investigation") \| [Legal teams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_teams_involved_in_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation "Legal teams involved in the Mueller special counsel investigation") [list of charges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_charges_brought_in_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation "Criminal charges brought in the Mueller special counsel investigation") [United States v. Flynn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Flynn "United States v. Flynn") [Trials of Paul Manafort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trials_of_Paul_Manafort "Trials of Paul Manafort") [Mueller report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueller_report "Mueller report") [Barr letter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barr_letter "Barr letter") [Links between Trump associates and Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_between_Trump_associates_and_Russian_officials "Links between Trump associates and Russian officials") [Trump business projects in Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_projects_of_Donald_Trump_in_Russia "Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia") [Trump Tower Moscow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Tower_Moscow "Trump Tower Moscow") [Trump Tower meeting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Tower_meeting "Trump Tower meeting") [Reactions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_Mueller_special_counsel_investigation "Reactions to the Mueller special counsel investigation") \| \| Other United States elections \| [2018 interference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2018_United_States_elections "Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections") [2020 interference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2020_United_States_elections "Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections") [2024 interference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections "Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections") \| \| Related \| [Active measures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_measures "Active measures") [Russian disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_disinformation "Russian disinformation") [Cyberwarfare by Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwarfare_by_Russia "Cyberwarfare by Russia") [Russian web brigades](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_web_brigades "Russian web brigades") [Propaganda in Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_Russia "Propaganda in Russia") [Russian espionage in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_espionage_in_the_United_States "Russian espionage in the United States") [The Plot to Hack America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plot_to_Hack_America "The Plot to Hack America") (2016) [Trump: The Kremlin Candidate?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump:_The_Kremlin_Candidate%3F "Trump: The Kremlin Candidate?") (2017) [Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwar:_How_Russian_Hackers_and_Trolls_Helped_Elect_a_President "Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President") (2018) [Russian Roulette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Roulette_$Isikoff_and_Corn_book$ "Russian Roulette (Isikoff and Corn book)") (2018) [Intelligence and Security Committee report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_and_Security_Committee_Russia_report "Intelligence and Security Committee Russia report") [Russian interference in British politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_British_politics "Russian interference in British politics") [2016 Brexit referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_Brexit_referendum "Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum") [2017 Macron e-mail leaks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Macron_e-mail_leaks "2017 Macron e-mail leaks") [Russian interference in European politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_European_politics "Russian interference in European politics") \| \| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Media_and_human_factors "Template:Media and human factors") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Media_and_human_factors "Template talk:Media and human factors") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Media_and_human_factors "Special:EditPage/Template:Media and human factors")[Media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_$communication$ "Media (communication)") and [human factors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics "Ergonomics") \| \| \|---\|---\| \| [Cognitive psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_psychology "Cognitive psychology") [Externality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality "Externality") [Evolutionary psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology "Evolutionary psychology") [Behavioral modernity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_modernity "Behavioral modernity") [Cognition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_cognition "Evolution of cognition") [Mismatch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_mismatch "Evolutionary mismatch") [Media psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_psychology "Media psychology") [Media studies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_studies "Media studies") [Social psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_psychology "Social psychology") \| \| \| Media practices \| [Betteridge's law of headlines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines "Betteridge's law of headlines") [Gatekeeping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeping_$communication$ "Gatekeeping (communication)") [Infotainment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infotainment "Infotainment") [Human-interest story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-interest_story "Human-interest story") [Junk food news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food_news "Junk food news") [Least objectionable program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_objectionable_program "Least objectionable program") [Soft media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_media "Soft media") [Journalistic scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalistic_scandal "Journalistic scandal") [Media bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias "Media bias") [Media manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_manipulation "Media manipulation") [Pink-slime journalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink-slime_journalism "Pink-slime journalism") [Political endorsement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_endorsement "Political endorsement") [Propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda "Propaganda") [Public relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations "Public relations") [Missing white woman syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome "Missing white woman syndrome") [News values](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_values "News values") [Sensationalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalism "Sensationalism") [Hot take](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_take "Hot take") [Spiking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_$journalism$ "Spike (journalism)") [Tabloid television](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_television "Tabloid television") [Yellow journalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism "Yellow journalism") \| \| [Attention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention "Attention") \| [Attention economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy "Attention economy") [Attention inequality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_inequality "Attention inequality") [Attention management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_management "Attention management") [Attention span](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_span "Attention span") [Chumbox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumbox "Chumbox") [Clickbait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait "Clickbait") [Cognitive miser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_miser "Cognitive miser") [Low information voter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_information_voter "Low information voter") [Digital zombie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_zombie "Digital zombie") [Phubbing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phubbing "Phubbing") [Doomscrolling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomscrolling "Doomscrolling") [Human multitasking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_multitasking "Human multitasking") [Media multitasking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_multitasking "Media multitasking") [Mobile phones and driving safety](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety "Mobile phones and driving safety") [Smartphones and pedestrian safety](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphones_and_pedestrian_safety "Smartphones and pedestrian safety") [Texting while driving](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texting_while_driving "Texting while driving") [Influence-for-hire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence-for-hire "Influence-for-hire") [Infodemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infodemic "Infodemic") [Information explosion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_explosion "Information explosion") [Information overload](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_overload "Information overload") [Information pollution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_pollution "Information pollution") [Information–action ratio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information%E2%80%93action_ratio "Information–action ratio") [Rage farming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_farming "Rage farming") [Screen time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_time "Screen time") [Binge-watching](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binge-watching "Binge-watching") [Television consumption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_consumption "Television consumption") [Sticky content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_content "Sticky content") \| \| [Cognitive bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias "Cognitive bias")/ [Conformity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity "Conformity") \| [Availability cascade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_cascade "Availability cascade") [Availability heuristic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic "Availability heuristic") [Bandwagon effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect "Bandwagon effect") [Confirmation bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias "Confirmation bias") [Crowd psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_psychology "Crowd psychology") [Mobbing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobbing "Mobbing") [Moral panic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic "Moral panic") [Mean world syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_world_syndrome "Mean world syndrome") [Negativity bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negativity_bias "Negativity bias") [Peer pressure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_pressure "Peer pressure") [Social-desirability bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social-desirability_bias "Social-desirability bias") [Social influence bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_influence_bias "Social influence bias") [Spiral of silence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_of_silence "Spiral of silence") \| \| [Digital divide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide "Digital divide")/ [Political polarization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_polarization "Political polarization") \| [Algorithmic radicalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_radicalization "Algorithmic radicalization") [Youth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_youth_radicalization "Online youth radicalization") [Echo chamber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_chamber_$media$ "Echo chamber (media)") [Fake news website](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news_website "Fake news website") [Post-truth politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth_politics "Post-truth politics") [United States]() [Filter bubble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble "Filter bubble") [Knowledge divide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_divide "Knowledge divide") [Knowledge gap hypothesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_gap_hypothesis "Knowledge gap hypothesis") [Political polarization in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_polarization_in_the_United_States "Political polarization in the United States") [Social media use in politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_use_in_politics "Social media use in politics") [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_and_political_communication_in_the_United_States "Social media and political communication in the United States") [2016 U.S. presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election "Social media in the 2016 United States presidential election") [2020 U.S. presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election "Social media in the 2020 United States presidential election") \| \| Related topics \| [Computer rage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_rage "Computer rage") [Criticism of Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook "Criticism of Facebook") [2021 Facebook company files leak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Facebook_leak "2021 Facebook leak") [Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal "Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal") [Criticism of Netflix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Netflix "Criticism of Netflix") [Cultural impact of TikTok](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_TikTok "Cultural impact of TikTok") [Digital media use and mental health](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_media_use_and_mental_health "Digital media use and mental health") [Effects of violence in mass media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_violence_in_mass_media "Effects of violence in mass media") [Fascination with death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascination_with_death "Fascination with death") [Griefer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griefer "Griefer") [Mass shooting contagion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_shooting_contagion "Mass shooting contagion") [Psychological effects of Internet use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_Internet_use "Psychological effects of Internet use") [Sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealioning "Sealioning") [Social aspects of television](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_aspects_of_television "Social aspects of television") [Social bot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bot "Social bot") [Social impact of YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_impact_of_YouTube "Social impact of YouTube") [Technophilia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technophilia "Technophilia") [Neophile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neophile "Neophile") [Technophobia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technophobia "Technophobia") [Violence and video games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_and_video_games "Violence and video games") \| ![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1&usesul3=1) Retrieved from "<https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_news_websites_in_the_United_States&oldid=1289041495>" [Categories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Category "Help:Category"): - [American political websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_political_websites "Category:American political websites") - [Fake news websites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fake_news_websites "Category:Fake news websites") - [Internet fraud](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Internet_fraud "Category:Internet fraud") - [Internet hoaxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Internet_hoaxes "Category:Internet hoaxes") - [Internet manipulation and propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Internet_manipulation_and_propaganda "Category:Internet manipulation and propaganda") - [Journalistic hoaxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Journalistic_hoaxes "Category:Journalistic hoaxes") - [News media manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:News_media_manipulation "Category:News media manipulation") - [Propaganda techniques](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Propaganda_techniques "Category:Propaganda techniques") - [Propaganda in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Propaganda_in_the_United_States "Category:Propaganda in the United States") Hidden categories: - [Articles with short description](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description "Category:Articles with short description") - [Short description is different from Wikidata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata "Category:Short description is different from Wikidata") - [Use mdy dates from September 2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Use_mdy_dates_from_September_2020 "Category:Use mdy dates from September 2020") - [Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from November 2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_neutral_point_of_view_disputes_from_November_2020 "Category:Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from November 2020") - [All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:All_Wikipedia_neutral_point_of_view_disputes "Category:All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes") - [Articles lacking reliable references from November 2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_lacking_reliable_references_from_November_2020 "Category:Articles lacking reliable references from November 2020") - [All articles lacking reliable references](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:All_articles_lacking_reliable_references "Category:All articles lacking reliable references") - [Articles with multiple maintenance issues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_multiple_maintenance_issues "Category:Articles with multiple maintenance issues") - [All articles with unsourced statements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_unsourced_statements "Category:All articles with unsourced statements") - [Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_from_August_2021 "Category:Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021") - This page was last edited on 6 May 2025, at 03:42 (UTC). - Text is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License "Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"); additional terms may apply. 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