Fake News
The sharing of information amongst people does not limit the information to facts. People share their ideologies, which might be facts and other times, nonfactual. In most cases, sharing nonfactual information leads to misinformation and fake news, which has been on the rise recently with the internet and social media platforms. Accordingly, people must be aware of fake news and its sources. In the article “Elderly Woman Accused of Training Her 65 Cats to Steal from Neighbors”, readers are convinced that an old woman trained her cats to steal from her neighbors, but this story is probably fake for various reasons, such as the appearance of the article site and the absence of author recognition. Do you need any help for completing your assignment ? Contact us at eminencepapers.com. We endeavor to provide you with excellent service.
The article is about an old lady who trained her cats to steal and was consequently arrested. In the article, an 83-year-old lady trained her 65 cats to steal valuables from her neighbors, and the cats would obtain food as a reward for the theft. The lady was arrested after evidence from surveillance and neighbors’ testimonies proved the allegations true. The author uses other evidence of trained animals used for criminal activities to support the claim that the old lady could and did train her cats to steal.
Several factors point out that the article is fake. First, the appearance of the article site contains multiple advertisements. The site with the article contains numerous advertisements that reduce its reliability as an authentic news source. Many fake news sites have multiple promotions as compared to reliable news outlets. Second, the source or outlet of the article implies it is fake. The article is posted on World News Daily Report, a known humor website, and they reaffirm the fictional nature of all their contents. The fictional nature of the website’s content indicates that the article is fake. Third, the author’s identity is not included in the article, implying the article is fake. Under most circumstances, the author’s name is included to increase the article’s reliability due to the author’s merits and credibility. The absence of the author’s name thereby decreases the article’s credibility.
Fourth, the use of fallacies in the article indicates it is fake. Fallacies are used in many cases while making arguments; they are arguments that show an error in reasoning (Moore & Parker 173). There are many types of fallacies, some of which are used in the article. The first is hasty generalization, a fallacy that involves the conclusion of an argument based on evidence from a small sample. The article illustrates that the old lady did train her cats to steal because other animals, such as a monkey and ferrets, were trained to conduct criminal activities; this is an example of hasty generalization. The second is the appeal to authority when a conclusion is deemed trustworthy because a person in authority argues it to be true. The Columbus police department and their Chief police claim that the older woman is guilty; therefore, it is true. An extravagant hypothesis fallacy is also used in the article by claiming the older woman trained sixty-five cats to steal when there would be a simpler explanation.
In conclusion, various articles can be reviewed to determine their validity as factual; they include the site displaying the article, the appearance of the article, the author, and the article’s content. Distinguishing fake news from facts is essential in preventing misinformation. Therefore, based on the traits discussed, I believe the article “Elderly Woman Accused of Training Her 65 Cats to Steal from Neighbors” is fake.
References
“Elderly Woman Accused of Training Her 65 Cats to Steal From Neighbors”. World News Daily Report, https://worldnewsdailyreport.com/elderly-woman-accused-of-training-her-65-cats-to-steal-from-neighbors/.
Moore B. Noel & Richard Parker. Critical thinking. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012, Pg 173
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Question
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FAKE NEWS STORIES OR PHOTOSHOPPED PICTURES BELOW AND WRITE A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Fake News
This paper should be similar to the first two papers in format. You will have an introduction of three or four sentences leading up to the thesis statement. You will have a thesis that has two parts. The first part will discuss what the story or photo tries to argue or make you believe. The second part should be your critical response as to why this story might be fake or why this photo might be photoshopped. You do not have to prove that the story/photo is unreal. You merely have to say why it should be questioned. The second paragraph should summarize the story or the photo, or you can put the summary in the introduction. The largest section should be the critical response on the points that you have found that indicate this story or photo is not real.
FAKE NEWS STORIES:
http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/54802/blackbirds-attack-kentucky/ (Links to an external site.)
https://urbanlegendsonline.com/science-fair-experiment/ (Links to an external site.)
PHOTOSHOPPED PICTURES:
http://iruntheinternet.com/06724 (Links to an external site.)
(it’s the picture of the pilot with a selfie stick)
https://imgflip.com/i/1v6a41 (Links to an external site.)
https://imgur.com/pfNNCba (Links to an external site.)
https://imgur.com/gallery/4I8djki (Links to an external site.)
http://22memeinternet.blogspot.com/2014/08/that-moment-when-you-realise-it-spells.html