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Fake news? - Circulation of fake news can have serious consequences and is a growing issue. As reported in The Telegraph, fake news could represent a real threat to democracy.

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Where does it come from? -

Fake news articles could have many different sources or motivations. However, as reported in  The Guardian, one of the main motivations is attracting clicks, which means more revenue for the site hosting the article.

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Well-known cases - The Guardian noted several high-profile cases of fake news that were shared through social media.

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Donald Trump and Pope Francis - CNBC discusses the widely shared fake news story that Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump for president.

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Pope Francis - Pope Francis has condemned fake news, even comparing it to the bible story of the snake in the Garden of Eden, as reported in The Guardian.

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Hillary Clinton - According to CNBC, another big fake news incident involved Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.

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Hillary Clinton - The false article said that the candidate was involved in selling weapons to ISIS.

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US elections - A study by the Washington Post raised the possibility that fake news may have directly influenced Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.

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Bono - The frontman of Irish rock band U2 has also been the subject of fake news. A misleading article reported that he had contracted Ebola, as reported by the Independent.

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Where do they appear? - Fake news can be driven by political influence to simply making money. But where do these articles show up?

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Search engines - Looking for information on a certain topic via internet search engines may lead you to untrustworthy sites. Be careful!

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Facebook - Social media allows us to share photos, videos, and news articles. Even articles that appear to be associated with reputable companies may be false.

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WhatsApp - The Sun indicates that fake news is also spread through WhatsApp.

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The future - The propagation of fake news is such a big worry that the BBC made a program showing young viewers how to identify fake news articles.

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How to protect ourselves - So, how can we identify fake news and stop a hoax from spreading among friends and family members? It's not always easy, but the BBC released some tips that may help you.

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Check the source - The first tip is the most basic of all, but not always the easiest. Check the source of information and be wary if it comes from an organization or group that you've never heard of.

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Check the source - Pay attention to the URL (the website address) that is breaking the news. Sometimes logos and layouts of big news companies are used to make fake news seem more credible.

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Look for other sources - If an article seems absurd or a bit suspect, search around and see if other reputable news agencies reported the same thing.

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Read it in full - Sometimes fake news spreads due to a sensationalist headline. An article may seem clear from the headline, but it's important you don't share it until you read the whole of the article.

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Conventional media - Some people believe fake news because they imagine certain topics wouldn't be reported by mainstream media.

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Conventional media - Credible news sources may be more careful and less sensationalist with the wording of topics, but if it's important, they will likely report it.

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Numbers - Fake news often uses statistics to appear credible. Before you believe something and share it, see if you can find the institution that published the numbers.

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Facts and stats - Also consider the sample size when analyzing statistics. If only a small group is surveyed, the results may be misleading.

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Editing - Harvard University has also published tips to help determine fake news.

Pay attention to the quality of the writing and spelling. Text with a lot of exclamation marks or words written in all capital letters may indicate an unreliable source.

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Context - Is this attention-grabbing story current? It could be an internet rumors that gets re-written and re-published to get clicks.

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Check - Harvard recommends using fact-checking websites like Fact Check or Snopes to determine if something is untrue.

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Fake news? Not anymore! -

Don't always believe everything you read on the internet. Before getting invested, commenting, or sharing, check that it's real!

See also: 30 psychological reasons why people lie

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