Types of fake news online U.S.

According a survey held in December 2020, the share of people aged 16 years and above in the United States who had encountered manipulated content, i.e. photos and videos which had been doctored, Photoshopped, or contained deep fakes, amounted to 26.8 percent. This made manipulated content the most encountered type of fake news, followed by authentic material used in the wrong context, which over 24 percent of respondents had come across.

Types of fake news encountered online in the United States as of December 2020

Characteristic	Share of respondents
Manipulated content (photos/videos that are doctored, Photoshopped, or contain deep fakes)	26.8%
Authentic material used in the wrong context (photos/videos from another event/time that are designed to mislead the viewer)	24.3%
Fake information	19.3%
Imposter news sites designed to look like brands we already know	15.1%
Fake news sites	11.7%
Parody content	2.9%

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Release date

2021

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

December 8, 2020

Number of respondents

1,000*

Age group

16 years and older

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

*Respondents were aged 16 to over 54, with the majority of participants between the ages of 35 and 44 (35.7 percent). The gender split skewed female (53.6 percent).
Question: According to The Colombia Journalism Review, there are six types of fake news. Which do you see most online today?

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