The work needed to effectively filter information in our media-saturated environment takes time and skill. A study showed that the more content we consume, the more our ability to make decisions about its veracity becomes impaired. With 80% of Europeans now regularly going online, it is vital for the sustainable and effective functioning of democracy for citizens to be able to curate their media diets with a healthy critical eye.
Our Beyond Fake News infographic identifies the 10 types of potentially misleading news. It was created to be used in class with real-world examples to spark classroom debate and reflection on the ways that media is constructed.
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We hesitated to put the term ‘fake news’ in the title of the infographic as, ironically, the term itself is a misleading simplification. Apart from the fact that the term has been co-opted to attack and silence mainstream media, the suggestion that there are simply two types of news; real and fake, doesn’t leave much room for nuance.​
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The 10 types
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​Of course, neither of the 10 types can be seen in isolation to the others. Partisan news outlets may also be identified as propaganda. And propaganda can be found in a sponsored post. Pseudoscience and conspiracy theories certainly enjoy each others company. Likewise, completely bogus content may entice its audience with a clickbait headline. Finding examples and identifying which categories they fit into is all part of the fun of using this graphic.
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The motivations
The motivations behind certain kinds of content can be many and varied. Money or power are almost always present however, there may be other motivations at play. A pseudoscientific column about climate change may be motivated by a certain ideological or political cause. However, another form of pseudoscience, health news, which some have identified as being among the most prolific in the ‘fake news’ typology, might be motivated by money or share similarities with clickbait characteristics; “The Secret Diet Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About” is a familiar refrain.
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Impact levels
The impact levels are not definitive either. For instance, some students may feel that conspiracy theories are just a bit of fun, while some of us reflect that the propagation of one recent conspiracy theory led to an actual incident of violence; Pizzagate.
We hope our infographic will prompt healthy discussion. When used in conjunction with the 5 media literacy concepts and questions, we believe it is a powerful way for people of any age to provoke a line of media inquiry that becomes second nature.
