Satirical news has become incredibly popular on social media, but many people mistakenly treat it as real news, particularly during elections, epidemics, and crises. This misuse significantly contributes to the spread of misinformation.
Misbar’s team has debunked numerous claims that circulated on social media as genuine news, revealing them to be from satire sites and accounts.
Social Media Users Confuse Satirical Content for Real News
It is important to avoid grouping satirical news with fake news, as they serve very different purposes. Fake news consists of “news articles that are intentionally and verifiably false and could mislead readers.” In contrast, satirical news is “factually incorrect, but the intent is not to deceive but rather to call out, ridicule, or expose behavior that is shameful, corrupt, or otherwise bad,” according to the study Distinguishing Between Fake News and Satire with Transformers.
Satirical news sites are intended to be interpreted as fiction or parody and often use ludicrous or exaggerated events to convey a point or offer societal criticism.
However, “people viewing a blend of news and entertainment on a social media site tended to pay less attention to the source of content they consumed, meaning they could easily mistake satire or fiction for real news,” according to a study at Ohio State University.
Satire frequently deceives even credible sources. The Daily Beast has identified multiple occasions where satirical tales from The Onion were mistakenly reported as true by publications such as China's state newspaper, the New York Times, and other media.
Recent examples include Breitbart and the Washington Post being fooled by The Daily Current's satirical content. This issue is frequent: humor is often confused with credible news, resulting in widespread misinformation, according to Colorado State University.
Low Trust in Media Increases Misinformation
Excessive media consumption and low trust in news organizations lead to the quick spread of “information that is either intentionally or unintentionally misleading or provocative,” according to the University of Western Ontario.
While “fake news spreads quickly online, more so than verified news.”
This trend has caused news readers to rely more heavily on alternative information sources, such as blogs and social media, to avoid the perceived bias and unreliability of conventional news.
Satire May Boost Political Polarization
Political satire, which uses comedy to criticize politics, has been used to shape public opinion since ancient Greece. According to KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the intensity of the emotions generated in viral political satire determines whether a video is shared or liked more than the exact feeling itself.
Since the surprising results of the 2016 U.S. presidential race, the subject of fake news in our global media consumption has grown steadily. “Political orientation also plays a crucial role; those with strong partisan views may misinterpret satirical content that supports their political stance, highlighting the intersection between personal beliefs and media perception,” according to the paper Satire or Fake News.
A Low Percentage Can Identify Satirical News From Real News
In a survey conducted by Michele Bedard at Colorado State University, only 11.98% of 382 participants correctly identified satirical news websites. Individuals aged 22 to 32 had the highest response rates, correctly identifying satirical content 18.8% of the time. Self-identified Republicans also had a relatively high accuracy rate of 15.63%.
In contrast, the 46-60 age group had the lowest correct identification rates, with only 2.38% accuracy, followed by the 60+ age group, with 1.79% accuracy. These findings highlight significant differences in the ability to discern satirical content based on age and political affiliation.
According to the research, 46.5% of participants accurately identified satirical news stories. Females had the highest accuracy rate for identifying satirical content (51.44%), followed by Democrats (52.21%) and Independents (50.62%). Furthermore, those with a doctorate degree (Education Level 4) had the best accuracy at 55.41%, while people aged 33-45 (Age 3) achieved a commendable 53.76%.
In contrast, participants identifying as Other Gender had the lowest accuracy rates, with only 25% correct responses. Individuals with an undisclosed education level (Education Level n/a) had the second-lowest accuracy at 7.29%, while those in an unknown age range (Age n/a) managed only 10.71%. These disparities highlight how the ability to recognize humorous news varies across demographics such as gender, political affiliation, education level, and age.
Hyperbolic Criticism: The Most Popular Theme in Fake News and Satire
The research paper "Fake News vs Satire: A Dataset and Analysis" analyzed a total of 486 articles, of which 203 were satire. These articles were categorized as either fake news or satire, allowing the researchers to compare linguistic patterns and thematic elements across the two types of content.
The analysis also explored the distribution of thematic elements across fake news and satire, identifying seven key themes, such as hyperbolic positions, conspiracy theories, and sensationalist crimes.
The study found that exaggerated criticism was the most prominent theme in both fake news and satire articles, appearing in more than 67% of them. However, conspiracy theories were much more common in fake news, appearing in about 30% of stories, compared to a much smaller percentage in satire. Furthermore, sensationalist crimes were more common in fake news, whereas paranormal themes, albeit rare, were slightly more prevalent in satire.
Fake news items were also more likely to include multiple themes, with 55.5% featuring more than one, compared to 27.6% for satire.
Fake or Satirical News?
In their study, the University of Western Ontario focuses on how to distinguish between false news and satire, a critical topic in today's media ecosystem. They uncover certain satirical cues, such as distinctive language patterns and rhetorical tactics, that can aid in the accuracy of false news detection systems. By examining these indicators, their research improves the ability to differentiate between genuinely incorrect information and satire.
The proposed system employs natural language processing to train models on these satirical aspects, resulting in more accurate classification. The study found that incorporating these cues reduces errors and improves the identification of deceptive content, making it easier to navigate and understand the complex world of online news.
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