Recently the phenomenon of ‘FAKE NEWS‘ has generated an upset among social media users and the press.  However, we can admit that ‘fake news’ has been around for many years.  Tabloids represent the first iteration of ‘fake news’. Stories about celebrities, with their faces prominently placed on the front page of the papers available at the supermarket cashier line have been noticed and read by many of us lined up to pay for our groceries. These ‘news’ stories are notorious among celebrities who have been known to sue these Tabloids for their ‘fake’ stories.

♦ Supermarket tabloids are particularly notorious for the over-the-top sensationalizing of stories, the facts of which can often be called into question. Source: Tabloid journalism – Wikipedia

I searched the www for information on how to identify ‘fake news’.  Use the sources below for guidance. And, for more perspective, some of you may want to look at the information on so-called “Satirical News” as well.

1. A man named Paul Horner created several such sites.  He owns several real-sounding URLs including nbc.com.co, and abcnews.com.co
2. Note the extraneous “.co” at the end of those sites.  None of these are associated in any way with the news organizations they’re named after, but if you don’t look too closely at the link you click on, they appear legitimate. Source: How to Spot and Debunk Fake News

♦ This is a list of fake news sites. These sites intentionally publish hoaxes and disinformation for purposes other than news satire. Some of these sites use a URL that ends in a .co or otherwise resembling genuine news sites. Source: List of fake news websites – Wikipedia

♦  Click-bait and “truthiness” are just as bad. By Melissa Zimdars November 18, 2016. Melissa Zimdars is an assistant professor of communication and media at Merrimack College. Source: My ‘fake news list’ went viral. But made-up stories are only part of the problem. – The Washington Post