You see a shocking headline – the story is hilarious. Outrageous. Too good to be true.
It must be shared.
Right.
Now.
We’ve all done it: impulsively shared a crazy article that looked relatively realistic, with our own remark about said craziness, but without taking the time to cross-reference or even look up at the URL.
And then only moments later, we’re publicly ousted by an online pal, told that what we’ve shared is total BS – just cheeky social commentary from a sneaky satirical news site.
For young professionals (YPs), unknowingly spreading phoney info is not only embarrassing, but also potentially harmful to our personal and professional reps. So to help you avoid ever making this mistake again, here are 9 seemingly legit, but oh-so-fake news sites, that you need to be aware of right now.
1. The Daily Currant
It seems a lot of people don’t know the difference between the tart berry and a reference to time, because the Daily Currant has even tricked real media outlets that have fallen for and quoted the site’s stories. Would you really believe that there’s a “College Offering Course on Selfies”?
2. The Onion
Similarly, The Onion has also been (mis)quoted by real media, and had their stories shared by tons of unsuspecting Facebookers. The popular satirical site offers something for everyone, from shrewd backwards commentary on serious political issues, to comical nonsense like: “Bath & Body Works Scientists Destroy Experimental Scent Unfit for Mankind”.
3. The Lapin
Dubbed the Canadian version of The Onion (only more polite, obviously), our very own The Lapin is busting with amusing national tripe, like the somewhat predictable yet obviously necessary: “Doug Ford Denies He Sniffs Glue”.
4. The News Nerd
This entertainment “news” site’s boldly fabricated stories have been shocking and awing all over our newsfeeds. As the site responsible for outing Biggie’s “gay” son, and exposing Allen Iverson as a “street beggar”, The News Nerd now claims, “Young Thug Kisses Birdman, Calls Him His Lover”. Nope.
5. Empire News
From the site that brought America the viral freak out of the season with last week’s major “Record-Shattering Snowfall” warning, Empire News has also had their way with us canucks, claiming “ Canada Decides They Don’t Want Hockey to be Their Thing Anymore. Yeah right.
6. Cap News
Their ABC News-inspired logo can make things tricky for quick scrollers. But you can be sure, even though we wish it were so, “Lindsay Lohan to Play Amanda Bynes in Biopic”, is not a true story.
7. Waterford Whisper News
Aren’t the Irish a clever people. From the land of saints and scholars, Waterford Whisper News brings us fabulous fictitious gems like “Pistorius Sent to Live With Auntie and Uncle in Bel-Air”.
8. World News Daily Report
The very generic, yet seemingly official-sounding name of this fake news outlet can make it easy to assume that their content is for real. But be careful when clicking and sharing headlines like “Professional Sperm Donor Becomes Richest Man in Wyoming”, because they’re totally bogus.
9. The Borowitz Report (via The New Yorker)
Though it appears in the very-legit New Yorker Magazine, the Borowitz Report, written by best-selling author and comedian Andy Borowtiz, is very much meant as a (genius) joke: “White House Vows To Use Every Synonym for War Against Isis.”
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