How to Spot Fake News: Comparison of News Articles (Essay Sample)

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How to Spot Fake News
In order to spot fake news, it is important to pay attention to details. It is hard to discern being real and fake news since they are both convincing. However, fake news possesses little extra features that can inform one of the ingenuity. Therefore, anyone looking for fake news should take time before accepting the authenticity of news websites. This article will compare a news article from World News Daily Report and an authentic article from the CNN website. It is imperative to understand that fake news is hard to comprehend because it mostly has catchy headlines and can be more direct.
Comparison of News Articles
When reading any news story, on should consider the source. World News Daily Report published an article claiming that the ISIS leader directed Muslims to support Hilary Clinton in the elections while threatening those who would support Trump CITATION Wor16 \l 2057 (World News Daily Report). The article further outlines that the Muslims who fail to support Clinton will be punished here on Earth and in the afterlife. However, this article lacks credibility; the author supports the claims with a non-existent video. The author argues that the video was posted on YouTube and then taken off and thus there is no way to confirm these stories. In contrast, CNN offers detailed information about a 15-year-old boy who was accused of killing two students and how he was indicted as an adult CITATION Cha18 \l 2057 (Chavez). Nicole Chavez supports her stories with facts; she indicates the court and the day that the boy was arraigned and thus it is easy to follow up. She offers specific details rather than general statements.
Factcheck website emphasizes the importance reading beyond the headline and checking the author CITATION Kie16 \l 2057 (Kiely and Robertson). The article about Hilary Clinton has content but no specific author. The content uses vulgar words such as infidels and dog-faced while describing people CITATION Wor16 \l 2057 (World News Daily Report). However, Chavez refers to the young boy as the accused and uses clean and respectful language. Therefore, she understands the essence of this story and understands that it is meant for a general audience. Fake stories have a certain thrill to attract people but offer little or zero quality. CNN uses simple words and an easy language, explaining why a person can be charged as an adult despite being under 18. Therefore, Chavez offers helpful information that can be obtained from numerous authentic data sites while the other article picks all information from a non-existent video.
It is essential to pay attention to even the small details. World News Daily Report may have spread a wrong story but the people can also be blamed for believing it. The website clearly outlines at the bottom that all the information on the website is fiction. There are people who read the headlines and skim through the article without looking closely at the details. It is necessary to look at the source of the news and examine it while paying attention to the information provided. CNN, on the other hand, supports it stories with videos and gives ample details on its website that can help prove its authenticity. Real news has supporting information and clear details. Real news emphasizes the key points and offers more paths for people to follow up.
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