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To combat false and misleading information
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it can be useful to recognize
the different shapes it can take.
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Here are five common forms
of mis- and disinformation
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to look out for.
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FABRICATED
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A story or claim that
is fictional is called fabricated content.
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People can invent stories
for political reasons
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but the most common motive is money.
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A website's owner benefits
from the advertising that appears
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beside their content.
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The more clicks they get,
the more money they make.
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IMPOSTER
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Imposter sites try to fool people
by imitating credible news organizations.
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The URL and logo of a well-known site
may be changed just a little
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so people believe
they are looking at the real thing.
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The goal is to mislead people
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into trusting
and sharing faulty information.
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CLICKBAIT
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A click bait headline is designed
to provoke enough curiosity
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the people can't resist clicking
to find out more.
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Click bait can spark interest
by using exaggeration,
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emotional language,
or creating suspense.
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The reason behind click bait
is to earn money from ads.
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MANIPULATED
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Manipulated content is real information
that is altered to change its meaning,
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such as a photo or video that is made
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to depict something not shown
in the original.
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Visuals are immediate and tend to appeal
more strongly to our emotions than words,
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so it's an easy way
for misleading information to spread.
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FALSE CONTEXT
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False context is when a real photo
is paired with an inaccurate story.
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This is one of the most common forms
of mis- and disinformation.
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An unaltered image
can easily become misleading
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with the addition
of a false headline or description.
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Knowing the vocabulary
of information pollution
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is an important step in becoming
skilled information consumers.
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