Fake News: It’s Real and It Matters
that the elder Cruz had worked with Oswald three months before the
assassination, and it included a photograph of Oswald with a man
whom the newspaper identified as Rafael Cruz.
Even though the
National Enquirer
is well known for publishing
false stories, many Americans believed the article. Countless numbers
shared it on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. It likely
convinced some Republican primary voters not to cast a ballot for
Cruz. Yet the story was fictional. It was fake news.
What Is Fake News?
People use the term
fake news
in two ways. First, it applies to news
stories and social media posts posing, falsely, as genuine news items.
These stories and posts are demonstrably untrue and deliberately
designed to mislead the reader or viewer. The “fake news” label is also
used to cast doubt on legitimate news stories, especially those that
portray persons of power or celebrity in a negative light.
Donald Trump referenced an untrue news story about the father of rival Republican candidate
Ted Cruz (
right
) during the 2016 presidential primaries. After his election, Trump used the “fake
news” label to discredit stories that criticized him.
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