A screenshot of a news headline that looked like it came from The Atlantic went viral in early October for suggesting that Vice President Kamala Harris “may have to steal” the election to save democracy.
But the headline was made up. The Atlantic said in a statement that the screenshot was the latest in a series of fake Atlantic headlines, most of which are “crudely doctored, with grainy resolution, and some of which use hate speech.”
These fake heads can do that mislead voters and the public at a time when factually accurate information is crucial, said Jeffrey Blevins, professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Journalism & Public and International Affairs.
“When you go online, there’s just a flood of information,” Blevins said. “I think we really need serious media literacy education that starts much earlier, that starts in primary and secondary education.”
An ongoing trend of misinformation
Fake news headlines that mislead the public are not a new phenomenon, and they do not always focus on politics.
CBS News identified fake headlines purporting to come from sources including The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN and local news sites. The headlines referenced the 2024 campaign, aid to Ukraine, the 2024 Olympics in Paris and other topics.
Some fake headlines posted on social media come with a warning that the article is not genuine. But that is not always the case. One fake headline that appears to have come from The Atlantic was viewed more than 3 million times on X, without a label labeling it as fabricated.
One concern for wrong information experts is who is behind spreading and amplifying fake headline screenshots. “The real problem is when elected officials, politicians, celebrities and influencers start reposting things like this,” Blevins said. “That gives it real credibility, and honestly, they should know better. I think a lot of them do, but they just don’t care.”
Elon Musk, the owner of Satire accounts on X have also shared fake headlines, gaining millions of views.
An April 2024 study conducted by researchers at MIT and Columbia University found that when confronted with both a fake and real news story to see if the public could distinguish between the two, 50% of respondents were unsure was, 47% chose the true story and 3% the fake story.
Distinguishing fact from fiction is only part of the challenge when it comes to disinformation and the media, Jason Davis, a research professor at Syracuse University whose work focuses on detecting misinformation and disinformation, told CBS News.
“Right now, the biggest challenge we have is the low barrier to entry for creating, disseminating at scale, volume and speed a propaganda campaign for disinformation and disinformation,” Davis said. “It requires very few resources.”
How to spot fake news headlines
With misinformation on the rise online, experts say there are several quick and easy ways to check if a headline is real:
- Find the primary source: Get off social media and look up the headline online to see what results emerge. Better yet, search for the headline directly on the outlet’s website to see if it exists.
- Look for visual clues: Is the screenshot of the image or article high-quality, or is it grainy, like this fake headline screen from the New York Times? Is an author or publication date visible? Does the font and style match other genuine items from the same outlet?
- Gauge your reaction: Bad actors can create fake headlines using suggestive language to provoke an emotional response from the reader.
- Check other news channels: What are your local news channels reporting? Do national outlets have comparable coverage? Try to find multiple reputable sources reporting the information.
- Check your mindset: When you scroll through social media, you may not absorb information critically. It is important to remain wary of information you find online.
Davis warns that the days just before, during and after November presidential elections will be an appropriate time frame for those who want to spread disinformation.
“The liar’s dividend is high,” Davis said. “I think we’re going to see a tsunami of this kind of content because I only have to fool you for a critical period of time and then I get the outcome I want in the real world.”
