Outright fabrication represents only a small fraction of misleading media

Evidence

Although Professor Wineburg and I focus on different kinds of interventions, there is no doubt that we agree on the bottom line: the problem is much bigger than just fake news. We are increasingly dealing with viral half-truths, deeply partisan agendas, and constant media manipulation. It is worth noting that while commentators often focus on statements that are either true or fake, this type of fake news only represents a tiny fraction of misleading media more generally. Just focusing our definition of fake news on outlets that publish totally outrageous fabrications ignores the fact that a substantial chunk of content from even mainstream outlets can be misleading without being completely false. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 50

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes Callinicos’s point on realist mediation and the ‘misleading without being false’ theme about framing and selection. — connects to: The ‘fake news’ charge asserts press bias rather than literal fabrication of stories — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 131; Misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda differ mainly by intent to deceive — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 53

Broader Connections

• The ‘fake news’ charge asserts press bias rather than literal fabrication of stories #complicates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 131
• Misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda differ mainly by intent to deceive #expands (0.72) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 53