Fake News

"Fake news" has always been around, but exactly what we mean by the term has evolved over the years.

• "Fake news" could be satire-- The Onion or The Babylon Bee.
• "Fake news" could also be factually incorrect information.
• "Fake news" can mean deliberately-spread misinformation intended to sway public opinion.
• "Fake news" is now often used to describe information that is inconvenient, annoying, or upsetting to the speaker/writer.
• "Fake news" is also frequently used to describe biased sources that disagree with the speaker/writer's worldview.

Defining your terms is important. If you are using the phrase "fake news" in one of the ways listed above, but the person you're in conversation with is thinking of a different definition, it will be difficult to have a productive discussion.