List of fake news websites

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Fake news websites are those which intentionally, but not necessarily solely, publish hoaxes and disinformation for purposes other than news satire. Some of these sites use homograph spoofing attacks, typosquatting and other deceptive strategies similar to those used in phishing attacks to resemble genuine news outlets.^[1][2][3]

Fake news sites deliberately publish hoaxes and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media.^[4][5][6] These sites are distinguished from news satire (which is usually intended to be humorous) as they mislead and sometimes profit from readers' gullibility.^[5] While most fake news sites are portrayed to be spinoffs of other news sites, some of these websites are examples of website spoofing, structured to make visitors believe they are visiting major news outlets like ABC News or MSNBC.^[7] The New York Times pointed out that within a strict definition, "fake news" on the Internet referred to a fictitious article which was fabricated with the deliberate motivation to defraud readers, generally with the goal of profiting through clickbait.^[8] PolitiFact described fake news as fabricated content designed to fool readers and subsequently made viral through the Internet to crowds that increase its dissemination.^[9]

The New York Times noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within tabloid journalism in the years prior to the 2016 U.S. election.^[8] Except for the 2016 Philippine elections,^[10] prior to the election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, fake news had not impacted the election process and subsequent events to such a high degree.^[8] Subsequent to the 2016 election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon, with supporters of left-wing politics saying those on the opposite side of the spectrum spread falsehoods, and supporters of right-wing politics arguing such accusations were merely a way to censor conservative views.^[8] Due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such polemics became more vague.^[8]

• Alternative facts – Expression associated with political misinformation established in 2017
• Big lie – Propaganda technique
• Chequebook journalism – Practice of news reporters paying sources for information
• Clickbait – Web content intended to entice users to click on a link
• Demoralization (warfare) – Warfare tactic used to erode morale
• Disinformation – Deliberately deceptive false information
• Echo chamber (media) – Situation that reinforces beliefs by repetition inside a closed system
• Fake news by country – False or misleading information presented as realPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Filter bubble – Intellectual isolation through internet algorithms
• Firehose of falsehood – Propaganda technique
• Journalism ethics and standards – Principles of ethics and of good practice in journalism
• Post-truth politics – Political culture where facts are considered irrelevant
• Pseudohistory – Pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort historical record
• Selective exposure theory – Theory within the practice of psychology
• Spiral of silence – Political science and mass communication theory
• Tabloid journalism – Style of largely sensationalist journalism
• Troll farm – People employed to post divisive content
• Yellow journalism – Sensationalistic news