"Fake News" is a term applied to any news article that is intentionally and verifiably false ---- In other words, fake news is disinformation. Fake news is fabricated reality, designed to manipulate one's perception of facts.
There are four broad categories of fake news, according to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College.
CATEGORY 1: Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.
CATEGORY 2: Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information
CATEGORY 3: Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions
CATEGORY 4: Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news
*Articles / fake news stories can fall under more than one category.
Adapted from: http://iue.libguides.com/fakenews/index
