The term 'fake news' has surged in popularity over the last several years and often gets thrown around very loosely. One might be inclined to label a news story as "fake" simply because they disagree with it. With this in mind, it can be difficult to determine what news is truly fake and how we can identify it. The University of Michigan Library defines fake news as "news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources, or quotes." That definition on its own isn't enough to help everyone verify what news they are viewing is fake though.
The truth is that there is no real way to stop fake news. No matter how much effort is put into abolishing false news stories, they will always remain. The internet is too big a space to eradicate every last piece of misinformation. What can be done, however, is for people to reduce their susceptibility to it. This, according to The University of Michigan Library, can be achieved if we "Think critically" and "Think twice." While this isn't a perfect solution to avoiding misinformation, there really isn't one. All that can be done is for us to be mindful when we view our news and to assume that just because a source is popular, doesn't mean it is trustworthy.
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