What Is Fake News?

Fake news is when people share stories that aren’t true, but they act like they are.

Imagine you have a favorite toy, maybe it’s a robot that dances when you press its belly button. Now suppose someone tells you, “Your robot is going to fly to the moon tomorrow!” That sounds exciting, right? But if you believe it and run outside waiting for your robot to zoom off into space, that’s fake news.

Sometimes, people make up stories on purpose just to trick others. Maybe they want everyone to laugh or get angry. These are like the jokes you tell at school, sometimes funny, sometimes not so true.

If you believe fake news, it can change how you feel about things. Like if your robot was supposed to fly to the moon and didn’t, you might be confused or even a little sad. But that’s okay! You can always check if what people say is really true, just like checking if your robot actually dances when you press its belly button.