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The term "fake news" refers to false, misleading or manipulative information that is intentionally disseminated to deceive the public or influence opinions. Fake News can come in a variety of forms, including fake news articles, manipulated images or videos, made-up stories and false statistics. Here are some characteristics of Fake News:
1. Falsity: The most obvious aspect of Fake News is its untruthfulness. They contain information that is not factual and is often fabricated or heavily distorted.
2. Intent to deceive: Fake News is deliberately created and disseminated to deceive or manipulate people. The purpose can be varied, from political propaganda to financial fraud.
3. Dissemination: Fake news is often spread via social media platforms, websites and email chain letters. They can quickly go viral and reach a large number of people.
4. Emotional appeal: Fake news often aims to trigger emotions such as anger, fear or outrage to grab readers' attention and get them to share the false information.
5. Lack of sources: Fake news often lacks credible sources or quotes made-up experts. The information is often vague or generalised to maintain the appearance of credibility.
6. Repetition: Fake news can be reinforced by frequent repetition and sharing on different platforms. The more often people see such news, the more they tend to accept it, even if it is untrue.
7. Political or ideological motives: In some cases, fake news is created specifically to promote political or ideological goals. They may be used to discredit specific political parties or groups or to influence public opinion.
8. Confusion and disinformation: Fake news can help create confusion and undermine trust in established news sources. This can affect long-term understanding of actual events and issues.
It is important to stress that fake news should not be confused with unintentional misinformation. Fake news is deliberately created and disseminated false information, while unintentional misinformation can be based on mistakes or misunderstandings. Fake news is a serious challenge for society as it can manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in information sources. Therefore, it is important to think critically, check sources and be aware of how Fake News works in order to protect oneself from it.