What is “fake” news?

I do not claim to be a journalist but just an average American who sees this term being used and I think it deserves some clarification.

I think there are two definitions to “fake” news.

  1. The obvious something that is totally fabricated and untrue.
  2. The second something that is fabricated but is not “news”  nor appears false on the surface.

In today’s media I think we experience lots of both kinds of ‘fake’ news mainly the second type.  First I think I need to define what I believe “real” news is.

I see real news as like a house is burning and someone calls for assistance and the police and fire trucks show up and by happenstance a media outlet is listening to police and fire scanners and hear about the fire and send a news crew to cover it.    The media did not cause the fire but is covering the events as they are happening.

I see “fake” or “fabricated” news meaning two things.  Examples of false news would be a media outlet reporting that Donald Trump Jr. is going to win the Powerball Lottery this evening and is donating all the money to Veteran’s Groups, and Children’s causes.  Totally fake and false BUT if perchance Donald Trump Jr. does play and win the Powerball Lottery tonight, he will share his earnings with me for predicting it. LOL

A second type of fake or fabricated news can be either a media outlet choosing to interview someone who said they were at a particular news event and asking them very leading questions which forces them to answer in a way that can be edited to appear to be some kind of “news” when in reality it was just edited to sound that way.

A third type which I feel is happening a lot more than we would like to believe is that a special interest group or media outlet are paying people to say or make accusations or to “create” a news story by inciting a group or people to react.

Just my two cents worth on fake/fabricated news this lunch hour this Wednesday.