A media fake is false information spread through the media in order to deceive the public. This may be fake news, fictional stories, photographs or videos that may be created or distributed for the purpose of political or economic manipulation, strengthening positions of power, damaging reputation, creating panic, or just for fun.

Media fakes can be created in a variety of ways: for example, by editing videos, photos or audio recordings, using Photoshop, creating fictional stories, or quoting non-existent sources.

Media fakes can cause serious problems, including mass panic, the spread of inaccurate information, damage to the reputation of people and organizations, and can also influence political decisions and lead to social instability.

Therefore, in order to combat media fakes, it is important to verify the information you receive from sources, as well as contact reliable news sources to make sure it is accurate.

10 examples of media fakes

Below are 10 examples of media fakes:

Pope Francis Supports Donald Trump in US Presidential Election. This media fake appeared in 2016 on the Internet and was spread by many news sites. However, this was false information, which was refuted by an official representative of the Vatican.

"Barack Obama is not a US citizen." This media fake was circulated on the Internet in 2008 during the Obama presidential campaign. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks.

"Pope Francis declared the Bible obsolete." This media fake appeared in 2017 and was spread by many news sites. However, this was false information, which was refuted by an official representative of the Vatican.

"US police found 13 tons of cocaine aboard a Russian truck." This media fake appeared in 2017 and was spread by many news sites. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks.

"Ukrainian militants killed a disabled child in Donbass". This media fake appeared in 2015 and was spread by many news sites. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks.

"Allah called Muslims to kill non-Muslims." This media fake was circulated on the Internet in 2015. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks.

"Martians found on Earth". This media fake was circulated on the Internet in 2014. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks. This media fake was created as a joke and had no real basis.

Vitaly Milonov proposed to ban gay emoji. This media fake appeared in 2018 and was spread by many news sites. However, this was false information, which was refuted by Milonov himself.

"Russian hackers hacked Clinton's servers." This media fake appeared in 2016 during the US presidential campaign. However, this was false information that was debunked by many fact checks.

"Vaccination causes autism." This media fake appeared on the Internet in 1998 and was spread by many anti-vaccination groups. However, this was false information, which was refuted by many scientific studies.

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