Okuzeka
Journalism & Media vocabulary · Fact-Checking and Verification

Fake news

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

nounCore term

In journalism & media, fake news means: False stories made to look like real news reports; the phrase is also used, sometimes unfairly, to attack reporting that someone simply dislikes.

In Turkish: sahte haber, yalan haber, asılsız haber

How it is used

Very common in everyday talk and headlines, but many journalists and researchers avoid it in their own reporting because it is vague and politically loaded. They prefer misinformation, disinformation or false claims.

Example sentences

  1. The workshop teaches pupils how to spot fake news on social media.

  2. The website looked professional, but every story on it was fake news.

Common collocations

  • spot fake news
  • spread fake news
  • fake news website
  • dismiss as fake news
  • misinformationFalse or misleading information that is spread without the intention to deceive, often by people who believe it is true.
  • disinformationFalse information that is created or spread deliberately to mislead people, damage someone or influence public opinion.
  • clickbaitOnline headlines or content designed mainly to make people click, often by exaggerating, hiding the key fact or promising more than the story gives.
  • fact-checkTo check whether the names, numbers, dates and claims in a story or statement are correct before or after it is published; as a noun, the check itself.

More terms: Fact-Checking and Verification

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: