Why create fake news? Some people do it for money. They
operate websites supported by online advertisements. The more
visitors the websites receive, the more money the sites earn from
advertisers. So the sites tempt readers to click on stories about
shocking crimes, medical procedures gone wrong, and other
sensational topics. Some headlines, such as “Cannibals Arrested
in Florida Claim Eating Human Flesh Cures Diabetes and
Depression,” are over-the-top outrageous. But site operators have
found that the more outrageous the headline, the more likely
it is to attract clicks—even by people who know the story is
likely untrue.
Others create fake news stories with the intent of inf luencing
voters. For instance, during the 2016 US presidential election,
many fake news articles contained outrageous falsehoods about the
Democratic candidate, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Hoping to convince voters that Clinton was linked to sinister deals,
a site claiming to be a Denver, Colorado, news organization ran a
false article titled “FBI Agent Suspected in Hillary Email Leaks
Found Dead in Apartment Murder-Suicide.” The goal of such fake
news is to sway opinions, either driving potential voters away from
a candidate or encouraging votes for that candidate’s opponent.
Many politically based fake news articles might sound as if they
could be true, but when examined closely, they are deceptive at best
or damagingly false at worst. Still, many people believe them. Why?
Some fake news stories reinforce already existing beliefs. If some people
already believed falsely that former US president Barack Obama is
a Muslim, they might not question the fake news headline “NYC
Muslim Terrorist Donated Thousands to Barack Obama’s Campaigns.”
Others believe fabricated (made-up) stories simply because they see
them in a news feed. The stories look “official,” so readers don’t
question them. Or they might believe a story because they trust the
friend who posted it.
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