What is fake news ?
Fake news is information that is widely disseminated through mass media and social media that is not true. In Japanese, it is "false reporting. The term "fake news" has become a hot topic after Donald Trump used the term "fake news" in response to a question from a reporter from CNN (an American television company) after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The term "fake news" has not been used by major media outlets since 2009, so many people may think it is a new term that was born recently, but fake news has a long history overseas, having been used since World War I.
Various types of fake news
There are two types of fake news: intentional and erroneous. Intentional fake news can range from complete falsehoods to lies that exaggerate the content so that more people can see it. Fake news also includes articles that are created by mistake, but are misconstrued and misinterpreted to be untrue.
Damages caused by fake news
Fake news is more likely to attract people's attention because it is untrue and false. For example, if you read an article that says "aliens sent us a signal," you will want to read it, right?
In Japan, the number of customers dropped to 30% of the normal level due to a false article about a new coronavirus patient, and in other countries, riots broke out due to a false rumor spread by one person. In other countries, riots broke out when one person spread a false rumor and innocent people were killed.
