This report reviews the relevant literature to provide a definition of fake news, its potential impact and recent responses to this phenomenon. Finally, the report provides a summary of the research and important findings concerning fake news in the conclusion.

1. Analysis of sources and effect of fake news on society
Project Report
Submitted by
Arpit Khurana (15BCE0353)
In fulfilment for the project of
Mass Media and Society
School of Social Sciences & Languages

2. School of Social Sciences & Languages
DECLARATION
We hereby declare that the project entitled Analysis of sources and effect of
fake news on society submitted by us to the School of Social Sciences &
Languages, VIT University, Vellore-14 in fulfilment of the requirements for the
award of the project of web mining in Computer Science and Engineering is a
record of bonafide work carried out by us under the supervision of
BALAMURUGAN J, Assistant Professor. We further declare that the work
reported in this project has not been submitted and will not be submitted, either
in part or in full, for the award of any other project of this institute or of any
other institute or university.
Arpit Khurana (15BCE0353)

3. School of Social Sciences & Languages
CERTIFICATE
The project report entitled Analysis of sources and effect of fake news on
society is prepared and submitted by Arpit Khurana (Register No: 15BCE0353).
It has been found satisfactory in terms of scope, quality and presentation as
partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the project of Mass
Media in Computer Science and Engineering in VIT University, India.
BALAMURUGAN J
Assistant Professor
Guide

4. Abstract:-
So-called “fake news” has become increasingly commonplace in recent years due in large
part to the proliferation of social media platforms such as Facebook that are either unable or
unwilling to stop their spread as well as numerous Web sites such as the boomlive that
specialize in publishing fake news reports. This project reviews the relevant literature to
provide a definition of fake news, its potential impact and recent responses to this
phenomenon. Finally, the project provides a summary of the research and important findings
concerning fake news in the conclusion.
Introduction:-
Although so-called “fake news” has been around as long as humankind in the form of rumors,
gossip and innuendos, the phenomenon has become increasingly commonplace in recent
years due in large part to the widespread use of social media platforms and the emergence
sources such as National Report and Empire News that intentionally attempt to deceive their
readers with authentic-sounding news reports
Recent shifts in the media ecosystem raise new concerns about the vulnerability of
democratic societies to fake news and the public’s limited ability to contain it. Fake news as a
form of misinformation benefits from the fast pace that information travels in today’s media
ecosystem, in particular across social media platforms. An abundance of information sources
online leads individuals to rely heavily on heuristics and social cues in order to determine the
credibility of information and to shape their beliefs, which are in turn extremely difficult to
correct or change. The relatively small, but constantly changing, number of sources that
produce misinformation on social media offers both a challenge for real-time detection
algorithms and a promise for more targeted socio-technical interventions.
What is fake news?
According to the definition provided by Dictionary, “fake” means “to make or construct
falsely, something that is not what it purports to be; counterfeit”. In the context of the news, it
is easily possible to report facts that are not accurate but they are not intentionally falsified.
By contrast, fake news intentionally seeks to deceive readers by making reports sound
sufficiently authentic for them to appear credible. Fake news, though, is certainly not a new
phenomenon.
More recently, though, fake news has become virtually ubiquitous with publishers such as
National Report and Empire News flooding the Internet with fake news stories and some
analysts are concerned that the trend represents a threat to U.S. interests at home and abroad.
In this regard, it is said that, “The widespread dissemination of fake news had real impacts on
political discourse and has steadily eroded the general public’s trust in media outlets across
the political spectrum”. Some newspapers such as The Hindu (recent headline: “World
Agrees to Just Take down Internet for a While until They Can Find a Good Use for It”)
intentionally publish stories that are clearly fake and readers are expected to know the
difference. By contrast, fake news stories intentionally mislead readers – and many cannot
discern the difference.

5. What makes the stories published by National Report and their ilk is the manner in which
these stories are framed and titled, making them appear sufficiently credible for people to
believe what they are reading. In many cases, this belief translates into revenues for fake
news publishers. In this regard, it is said that, “Their business model is both simple and
devastatingly effective: Employ a couple unscrupulous freelancers to write fake news that’s
surprising or enraging or weird enough to go viral on Facebook; run display ads against the
traffic; gleefully cash in”.
The potential impact of fake news
Although the overwhelming majority of fake news stories are recognized as such as and little
or nothing comes of them, a few stories have had a real impact on events in the U.S. and
abroad. In support of this assertion, a number of fake news stories that were already being
published online in mid-2017 with the following headlines:
 Israel to Dismantle Settlements, Recognize Palestinian State;
 United States to Destroy All Nuclear Warheads;
 Sarah Palin Calls for Invasion of Czech Republic; and,
 Republican Bill Demands Immigrants ‘Americanize’ Their Names.
While these headlines sound plausible to many readers because they conform to conventional
journalistic style, were published on Web sites that resembled legitimate news organization
sites and contained information that many people want to believe, none of these stories was
real. Likewise, some recent headlines posted by the sound true, but on closer examination it
becomes clear these headlines are also fake news:
 Putin Declares U.S. Inauguration Day a Russian National Holiday;
 Area Mall Offering 10% Discount to Non-Active Shooters;
 Trump Receives Honorary Degree from Electoral College; and,
 Sarah Palin Calls Wilma Flintstone “America’s Most Admired Woman.”
While these headlines may be amusing on their face to more discerning readers, they have the
potential to cause unexpected and even tragic outcomes. Even more troubling, a fake news
story about Israel threatening war against Pakistan resulted in Pakistan responding with a real
nuclear war threat against Israel.
While these high-profile examples may be the exception rather than the norm, there have
been some other cases where outcomes have been directly affected by fake news. Indeed,
some observers believe that fake news was responsible in large part for propelling Donald
Trump to victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The newly elected president has also
engaged in spreading fake news stories which has received an enormous amount of attention
from the press, and this raises the very real question concerning at what point “fake news”
becomes “real news.”

6. Literature Survey:-
1. Pakistan’s United Nations Envoy Shows Gaza Pic as Kashmiri Pellet Gun
Victim:
Pakistan’s United Nations envoy Maleeha Lodhi made an embarrassing gaffe when she tried
to pass off a photograph of a girl wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza as that of a Kashmiri
youth wounded by a pellet gun fired by the Indian Army in Kashmir. The photograph by the
award-winning American photographer Heidi Levine in Israel in 2014 has been featured in
international media.
2. 2002 Gujarat Riots Image Used For 2017 ‘Save Bengal’ Protest:
An image from the 2002 riots that took place in Gujarat was used in a ‘Save Bengal’ poster
on social media to protest communal riots that rocked West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas
district. The old image was also used on banners and placards at a rally staged at Jantar
Mantar in Delhi on July 8th.

7. 3. UNESCO declares PM Modi best Prime Minister
UNESCO has been one of the primary alleged sources of fake news in India. In June 2016,
fake news broke out on WhatsApp groups, and other social media, that the UN cultural
agency had awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi the title of best prime minister in the
world.

8. 4. New notes have a GPS chip to detect black money
Another notebandi rumour proliferated when PM Modi announced the withdrawal of old Rs
1,000 and Rs 500 notes on November 8, 2016. In less than an hour, rumours circulating on
WhatsApp of a nano geo-positioning system (GPS) tracking device embedded in the new Rs
2,000 notes gained traction. This chip, the messages said, would alert authorities if black
money was hoarded.
The RBI has clarified the new notes contain security features such as latent images, coloured
strip security threads, watermarks etc., but they do not have a chip installed, according to this
The Hindu report
5. When fake Rs 200 notes went viral on social media
An Rs 200 note went viral on social media in April and it seemed to have all the necessary
security features and watermarks. It also had Rs 200 written in Hindi more than once. Also, it
was different in color from Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes released but it had the new design
language

9. Survey Questions:
1. What is your age?
 Below 15
 15 - 25
 25 - 40
 40 above
2. Which type of news is most important to you?
 World news
 International news
 National News
 Political News
 Lifestyle news
 Fashion News
 Gadget News
 Sports News
 Weather News
 Entertainment News
 International News
 Local News
 Business and Financial News
 Health and education news
 Arts and culture news
3. When are you most likely to consume the news?
 Morning
 Afternoon
 Evening
 Night
 All Day

10. 4. Do you consider that fake news affect us?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
5. How interested are you about the sensational news?
 1 Extremely interested
 2
 3
 4
 5 Not at all interested
6. How do you keep up to date with the news?
 Radio
 Television
 Social Media
 Blogs
 Print
 Internet
 Word of mouth
7. On a scale of 1-10 how reliable do you think news sites and newspapers are?
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
 10
8. Do you think the media in general have power over how people perceive things?
 Yes
 No
 May Be

11. 9. How much time do you spend roughly accessing the news on social media ?
 I don't spend any time using this form of media to access the news
 Less than 20 minutes
 20 - 40 minutes
 40 - 60 minutes
 More than an hour
10. When you think of social media brands (e.g., facebook, twitter, snapchat, and instagram),
do you consider them news sources?
 Yes
 No
11. Do you know what fake news is?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
12. Which news do you trust more?
 News on my social media feeds
 News from traditional news outlets
 Both
13. In your opinion, why do you think fake news is published online?
 To be entertainment
 To advance a specific position or agenda
 To confuse people
 I don’t know
14. Thinking about social media, in your opinion, what is the role of social media in today’s
media landscape?
 To provide a short, timely summary of current events
 To build a relationship with readers
 To inform readers
 To entertain
15. Do you pay to subscribe to any digital news sources?
 Yes
 No

12. 16. How often do you share news headlines/stories with your family or friends via social
media?
 Daily
 A few times a week
 Once in a week
 Less often
 Never
17. Do you check fact check the news before sharing?
 Yes
 No
 Depends
Results:-

18. Findings and Conclusions:-
* Most of the survey participants are aged between 15-25 and 25-40. So the survey focuses of
the youth of the country.
* Political news is most important to the participants. Other important news types are
National, world and sports. But the type of news is fairly distributed.
* Most of the people like to consume the news in morning or at night i.e. in morning they can
get the news from newspapers and at night from TV and social media.
* Most of the people are confused that fake news affect us. But nearly ¼ of the participants
believe that fake news affects them.
* People are generally interested in sensational news. This causes the rise in the spread of
fake news.
* For keeping up to date with the news people use TV and Internet. But the biggest source of
news information comes from social media and media blogs.
* Most of the people believe in reputed news sites and newspapers that they use to consume
news.
* People think that media in general have power over how people perceive things.
* People spend less than 20 min roughly accessing the news on social media.
* Fairly large share of people consider social media as trusted source of news information
i.e. 40 %.
* A large share of people (62 %) don’t even know what fake news is and its effects on the
masses of the country.
* More than half of the population uses social media for news source which is main source
of fake news.
* People think fake news is published online to advance a specific position agenda. Others think

19. that it is just to confuse people.
* For the role of social media in today’s media landscape, people mindset is fairly distributed.
 To provide a short, timely summary of
 current events
 To build a relationship with readers
 To inform readers
 To entertain
* Nearly half of the participants do not pay to subscribe to any digital news sources. This
makes news source mediums to generate revenue from paid news and advertisement. For this
they may need to use sensational news which ultimately lead to fake news.
* People generally like to share news headlines/stories with their family or friends via social
media.
* Nearly 40% of the people do not fact check the news before sharing. This leads to the
spread of fake news in the community.
Solutions:-
 At a minimum, you should avoid spreading fake news, which is almost as bad as
creating it. No one wants to be known as a “liar,” but if you spread fake news without
making at least a minimal effort to validate it, that’s pretty much what you’re doing,
even if you didn’t mean to lie.
 You can also report it using Facebook’s tool if that’s where you find it or by
commenting that the story is fake so that other people who see it will also see your
correction. Make sure you include a link to any fact checking source so that people
can see why you believe it’s fake.
 You can educate your friends and family — and especially children — about the
presence and danger of fake news. Talk about it at the dinner table, share these tips
and ask others if they know of examples of fake news or “urban myths.”
 Step in when you see a friend sharing a fake story on social media. Include a link to a
post on Snopes or other evidence that refutes the story so people will be discouraged
from commenting on (which likely increases a post’s visibility) or, worse, sharing the
fake story.
How to spot fake news
 A little bit of critical thinking can go a long way? If you see anything that looks
like it might not be true, spend a couple of minutes doing some research before
passing it on. It’s easy and you’ll feel better knowing that you’re helping to debunk a
myth.
 Search for the facts. If you see a story that looks fishy, you can often find out if it’s
true via a search engine. On a web browser, all you have to do is highlight some of the

20. text and right click. That will bring up a search engine which may (or may not) point
you to a web page that either validates or disputes the article in question. But be sure
to consider the credibility of the page you’re taken to. Make sure it’s a legitimate fact
checking organization.
 Build your media literacy muscle. Fake news often plays into particular fears or
beliefs, like those stories about President Obama or the right-wing shooter. If a story
seems especially one-sided or particularly critical of a person or idea, it could very
well be fake.
 Read beyond the headline. Does the story seem balanced, with support for both
sides of an issue or story? Is there a subheading? If so, search the writer’s name and
see what else he or she has written. If you can’t find any other stories by the author,
that’s a red flag.
 Look closely at the quotes. Fake news creators often don’t bother to make up quotes.
If a source is identified, do a search of the source’s name or their organization or
company.
 Watch for odd URLs. Fake news sites often have unusual URLs, but not always. The
story about President Obama banning the pledge in schools appeared
on ABCnews.com.co, which shouldn’t be confused with the legitimate
ABCnews.com. Fake news sites can also have legitimate-sounding names and URLs,
for example the fake news site Now8News ran false stories about food
and McDonald’s closing 17,000 stores because of a raise in the minimum wage
 Be sceptical of photos, not just text. Photos can be stolen and placed in fake news
stories to give them the feel of real ones. They can also be “photo shopped” to put
people in situations or places where they have never actually been. If a photo seems
suspicious, do a reverse image search.
 Check out the site’s about section. Satirical sites will make their mission clear.
 When in doubt, search Snopes.com or FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com or any of
the sites that are part of the Poynter Fact Checking Network.
Result:-
The research showed that fake news is just that, news that looks and feels real but which is
intentionally intended to deceive consumers rather than entertain them. Although fake news
has been around as long as humankind, it gained increased influence with the printed word
and an explosion of influence more recently thanks to the Internet and social media
platforms. Some sources such as National Report and Empire News even specialize in fake
news that appears just authentic and credible enough to dupe some readers who then spread
the information through their social media pages. This vicious circle is unlikely to be
interrupted to any extent in the foreseeable future, so consumers should remain skeptical
about what they read until they can confirm it through other reliable sources.