Deciphering Fake News: Navigating Today’s News Standards

Following the 2016 presidential election, the pervasiveness of fake news came into the national spotlight. With an increased focus on media literacy and the need to end the spread of false information, tracing the abilities of individuals to spot fake news through a series of interviews was relevant. Several research questions were used for guidance: What are the common understandings or misunderstandings of fake news and its perpetuation? What are the characteristics of individuals who are more apt to recognize fake news? Does an individual’s level of political activism or civic engagement affect their ability to recognize fake news? It was hypothesized that the interviewees’ understanding of fake news and accuracy in distinguishing real and fake news would be dependent on their news-reading habits. Interview conduction confirmed the accuracy of this hypothesis. Furthermore, those who engaged with news more often and more widely are more likely to accurately discern between what is true and false. Questions remain as to whether or not those who had more experience with political activism and civic engagement, or with educational backgrounds relating to those areas, are better at making this differentiation. The results of this study reinforce the vitality of being media literate and possessing a consistent awareness of current events.