Changes

[[File:AP fake news.jpg|right|400px|thumb|The Associated Press tried to ignite World War III with a fake news story sourced to a "senior U.S. intelligence official."<ref>https://scheerpost.com/2022/11/18/why-is-ap-still-protecting-the-source-behind-its-false-russia-bombed-poland-story/</ref>  The reporter remarkably was held to account and later fired.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4sm7OdbMxQ</ref>]]

[[File:AP fake news.jpg|right|400px|thumb|The Associated Press tried to ignite World War III with a fake news story sourced to a "senior U.S. intelligence official."<ref>https://scheerpost.com/2022/11/18/why-is-ap-still-protecting-the-source-behind-its-false-russia-bombed-poland-story/</ref>  The reporter remarkably was held to account and later fired.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4sm7OdbMxQ</ref>]]

[[File:Time fake news Denisova.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Ukraine Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova, in an unprecedented move, was actually fired for manufacturing fake news reports about alleged Russian [[rape]]s and bringing disrepute on the Ukrainian regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title='This will not help us defeat the enemy' A new report looks at Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova, who was fired after officials couldn't confirm her stories of rape committed by Russian soldiers |url=https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/06/28/we-work-on-the-information-front |access-date= |website=Meduza |language=en}}</ref>]]

[[File:Time fake news Denisova.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Ukraine Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova, in an unprecedented move, was actually fired for manufacturing fake news reports about alleged Russian [[rape]]s and bringing disrepute on the Ukrainian regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title='This will not help us defeat the enemy' A new report looks at Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova, who was fired after officials couldn't confirm her stories of rape committed by Russian soldiers |url=https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/06/28/we-work-on-the-information-front |access-date= |website=Meduza |language=en}}</ref>]]

'''Fake news''' refers to bias in the media that is so misleading that it is actually false.  It can also include assertions of a non-political nature that seem believable but are untrue.  It often incorporates the use of questionable or unnamed (and most often, non-existent) "anonymous sources" that present one or more of the following characteristics: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, or a complete lack of transparency.<ref name="mediabiasfactcheck.com">Questionable Sources, https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fake-news/</ref>

'''Fake news''' refers to bias in the media that is so misleading that it is actually false.  It can also include assertions of a non-political nature that seem believable but are untrue.  It often incorporates the use of questionable or unnamed (and most often, non-existent) "anonymous sources" that present one or more of the following characteristics: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, or a complete lack of transparency.<ref name="mediabiasfactcheck.com">Questionable Sources, https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fake-news/</ref> In [[Russia]], fake news is commonly referred to as "[[Potemkin village|Potemkinism]]".<ref>https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/why-do-false-perceptions-about-russian-policy-towards-israel-continue-to-proliferate</ref>

The motive of fake news is to manipulate public opinion using false reporting and [[bias]] for profit or influence.<ref name="mediabiasfactcheck.com"/> It can be sourced by anonymous government [[leak]]ers or political operatives, or entirely fictional. The motive can be as simple as [[confirmation bias]] – pandering to an ideological viewership to distribute talking points or maintain ratings.  

The motive of fake news is to manipulate public opinion using false reporting and [[bias]] for profit or influence.<ref name="mediabiasfactcheck.com"/> It can be sourced by anonymous government [[leak]]ers or political operatives, or entirely fictional. The motive can be as simple as [[confirmation bias]] – pandering to an ideological viewership to distribute talking points or maintain ratings.