Fake news websites are those which intentionally, but not necessarily solely, publish hoaxes and disinformation for purposes other than news satire. Some of these sites use homograph spoofing attacks, typosquatting and other deceptive strategies similar to those used in phishing attacks to resemble genuine news outlets. [1] [2] [3]
Fake news sites deliberately publish hoaxes and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media. [4] [5] [6] These sites are distinguished from news satire (which is usually intended to be humorous) as they mislead and sometimes profit from readers' gullibility. [5] While most fake news sites are portrayed to be spinoffs of other news sites, some of these websites are examples of website spoofing, structured to make visitors believe they are visiting major news outlets like ABC News or MSNBC. [7] The New York Times pointed out that within a strict definition, "fake news" on the Internet referred to a fictitious article which was fabricated with the deliberate motivation to defraud readers, generally with the goal of profiting through clickbait. [8] PolitiFact described fake news as fabricated content designed to fool readers and subsequently made viral through the Internet to crowds that increase its dissemination. [9]
The New York Times noted in a December 2016 article that fake news had previously maintained a presence on the Internet and within tabloid journalism in the years prior to the 2016 U.S. election. [8] Except for the 2016 Philippine elections, [10] prior to the election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, fake news had not impacted the election process and subsequent events to such a high degree. [8] Subsequent to the 2016 election, the issue of fake news turned into a political weapon, with supporters of left-wing politics saying those on the opposite side of the spectrum spread falsehoods, and supporters of right-wing politics arguing such accusations were merely a way to censor conservative views. [8] Due to these back-and-forth complaints, the definition of fake news as used for such polemics became more vague. [8]
The following is a list of websites created by individuals (aside from those associated with corporations or political actors) that have been assessed by fact-checkers as fake news websites.
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
American News | americannews.com | Defunct | Published a false story claiming actor Denzel Washington endorsed Donald Trump for U.S. president. The fictional headline led to thousands of people sharing it on Facebook, a prominent example of fake news spreading on the social network prior to the 2016 presidential election. | [11] |
Conservative 101 | conservative101.com | Falsely claimed that the White House fired Kellyanne Conway. | [11] [12] [14] | |
Democratic Review | DemocraticReview.com | Defunct | Owned by American Review LLC of Miami, the same company that owns American News (americannews.com), Conservative 101 and Liberal Society. | [12] [14] |
Liberal Society | LiberalSociety.com | Defunct | Published a fake direct quote attributed to Obama, Falsely claimed that the White House fired Kellyanne Conway. | [11] [12] [14] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative Beaver | conservativebeaver.com | Defunct | Published false anti-vaccination claims related to Pfizer, leading to Pfizer filing a petition to compel the site host to reveal the site owner's identity. | [15] |
The Red Panther | theredpanther.com | Defunct | Former name of Toronto Today. As of 2024, is now an e-commerce site. | [15] |
Toronto99.com | Toronto99.com | Active | Had the same Google Adsense code as The Conservative Beaver. | [15] |
Toronto Today | torontotoday.net | Defunct | Had the same Google Adsense code as The Conservative Beaver. | [15] |
Vancouver Times | vancouvertimes.org | Defunct | Likely shares the same site owner as the Conservative Beaver and Toronto Today. | [16] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative Frontline | conservativefrontline.com | [17] | ||
Denver Guardian | denverguardian.com | [17] | ||
DrudgeReport.com.co | DrudgeReport.com.co | Mimics the name of the Drudge Report. | [17] | |
United Media Publishing | unitedmediapublishing.com | [17] | ||
usatoday.com.co | usatoday.com.co | Defunct | Falsely reports celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns | [17] |
washingtonpost.com.co | washingtonpost.com.co | Originally registered by Jestin Coler. The Washington Post submitted a complaint against Coler's registration of the site with GoDaddy under the UDRP, and in 2015, an arbitral panel ruled that Coler's registration of the domain name was a form of bad-faith cybersquatting (specifically, typosquatting), "through a website that competes with Complainant through the use of fake news. ... The fake news content misleads readers and serves as 'click bait' to drive readers to other sites, or to share the fake news content with others on social networking websites, to generate advertising revenue." | [18] [17] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
ABCnews.com.co | ABCnews.com.co | Defunct | Owned by Paul Horner. Mimics the URL, design and logo of ABC News (owned by Disney–ABC Television Group). | [19] |
CBSnews.com.co | CBSnews.com.co | Defunct | Mimics the URL, design and logo of CBS News. | [21] |
christianfreedommovement.com | christianfreedommovement.com | Defunct | [21] | |
cnn.com.de | cnn.com.de | Defunct | Impostor site of CNN. | [21] |
donaldjtrump.com.co | donaldjtrump.com.co | [22] | ||
isissingles.com | isissingles.com | Defunct | [21] | |
iywib.com | iywib.com | Defunct | [21] | |
keepdonaldtrump.com | keepdonaldtrump.com | Defunct | [21] | |
makeredhatswearableagain.com | makeredhatswearableagain.com | Defunct | [21] | |
mericaland.com | mericaland.com | Defunct | [21] [22] | |
microsoftsite.com | microsoftsite.com | Defunct | [21] | |
My Phoenix Daily | myphoenixdaily.com | [22] | ||
nationalgeographic.com.co | nationalgeographic.com.co | Spoof of National Geographic . | [21] | |
nationalreview.biz | nationalreview.biz | Defunct | Spoof of National Review . | [21] |
NBC.com.co | NBC.com.co | Imitates NBC. | [23] [21] | |
NBCNews.com.co | NBCNews.com.co | Defunct | Mimics the URL, design and logo of NBC News. | [24] |
News Examiner | newsexaminer.net | Started in 2015 by Paul Horner, the lead writer of the National Report. This website has been known to mix real news along with its fake news. | [25] | |
paulhorner.org | paulhorner.org | Defunct | [21] | |
snopes.com.co | snopes.com.co | Defunct | Imposter site of Snopes. | [21] |
St George Gazette | stgeorgegazette.com | Defunct | [21] [26] [27] | |
superofficialnews.com | superofficialnews.com | Defunct | [21] | |
thephoenixnewtimes.com | thephoenixnewtimes.com | [21] | ||
trumptized.com | trumptized.com | [21] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
16WMPO | 16WMPO.com | Defunct | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [28] [29] |
AlexJones.xyz | AlexJones.xyz | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [30] | |
alynews.com | alynews.com | Part of a network that posted a false story that there was a sequel to the movie Step Brothers in the works in 2016. Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [32] [30] | |
channel16news.com | channel16news.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
channel17news.com | channel17news.com | Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [33] | |
Channel 18 News | Channel18News.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [34] [28] | |
clancyreport.com | clancyreport.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
Daily News 10 | DailyNews10.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [35] [28] | |
Daily News 11 | dailynews11.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
Daily News 5 | DailyNews5.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [30] [28] | |
FoxBusiness.xyz | FoxBusiness.xyz | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [30] | |
Headline Brief | headlinebrief.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [32] [30] | |
km8news.com | km8news.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
KMT 11 News | kmt11.com | Defunct | Falsely reports celebrity appearances and filming locations in random local towns. Before the website went down, it referred to itself as a "fantasy news website". [36] [37] Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [38] [36] [37] [28] |
knp7.com | knp7.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
kspm33.com | kspm33.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [32] [30] | |
KUPR7 | kupr7.com | Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [39] [40] | |
ky6news.com | ky6news.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [32] [30] | |
KY12News.com | KY12News.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [28] | |
KYPO6 | kypo6.com | Defunct | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] |
Local 31 News | Local31News.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [35] [28] | |
localnews33.com | localnews33.com | Part of the same network as alynews.com | [31] [32] | |
lopezreport.com | lopezreport.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
maywoodpost.com | maywoodpost.com | Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [41] | |
mbynews.com | mbynews.com | Part of the same network as alynews.com | [31] [32] [30] | |
McKenzie Post | mckenziepost.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [32] [30] | |
NewsDaily12.com | NewsDaily12.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [23] [28] [29] | |
newsdaily27.com | newsdaily27.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
News Now 11 | newsnow11.com | Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [42] | |
oreillypost.com | oreillypost.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
WBN 12 News | wbn12.com | Likely part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [35] | |
wcpm3.com | wcpm3.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
wleb21.com | wleb21.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
WRPT 16 News | wrpt16.com | Part of the same network as WTOE 5 News. | [31] [30] | |
WTOE 5 News | wtoe5news.com | Defunct | Original source of false claim that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump in 2016. | [43] [30] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
Neon Nettle | neonnettle.com | Per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. Stated by Snopes to be "interrelated" with NewsPunch and Your News Wire. | [23] [44] [45] | |
Newspunch | Newspunch.com | Alternative name for YourNewsWire. | [44] | |
The People's Voice (formerly NewsPunch and Your News Wire) | thepeoplesvoice.tv | Active | Founded by Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sinclair Treadway in 2014. It has published fake stories, such as "claims that the Queen had threatened to abdicate if the UK voted against Brexit." Its name was changed to NewsPunch in 2018 and The People's Voice in 2023. | [46] [23] [44] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] |
Your News Wire | yournewswire.com | Former name for The People's Voice. | [46] [23] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
ABCNews1.us | ABCNews1.us | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
African News Updates | africannewupsdate.com | Same owner as News Updates South Africa. Published a false story about election fraud during the 2016 municipal elections in South Africa, which led to the Electoral Commission of South Africa filing a criminal complaint against the site owner. | [55] [56] | |
AJUAnews | AJUAnews.com | Plagiarized content from The Last Line of Defense. Reportedly owned by individual based in Pakistan. | [54] | |
ALNewsNetwork.press | ALNewsNetwork.press | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
America Talks | Americatalks.com | Per FactCheck.org. | [44] | |
America's Freedom Fighters | Americasfreedomfighters.com | Per FactCheck.org. | [44] | |
Banned Information | BannedInformation.com | Per FactCheck.org. | [44] | |
Dos Palos News | dospalosnews.com | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
FB News Cycle | Fbnewscycle.com | Per FactCheck.org. Same owner as Banned Information. | [44] | |
HealthFacts.pro | HealthFacts.pro | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
Hot Global News | hotglobalnews.com | [51] [57] | ||
ILoveQuilting.pro | ILoveQuilting.pro | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
Leading Report | theleadingreport.com | A website and Twitter account that promotes misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and United States politics. | [58] [59] [60] | |
National News Bulletin | nationalnewsbulletin.com | Same Google Analytics ID as News Updates South Africa. | [55] [56] | |
The National Sun | thenationalsun.com | Same owners as Hot Global News. | [57] [61] | |
net-breaking.com | net-breaking.com | Affiliated with Leading Report. | [58] | |
News@Last | newsatlast.com | Fake news website in South Africa, per Africa Check, an IFCN signatory. Same owner as News Updates South Africa. | [55] [56] | |
News Updates South Africa | newsupdatessa.site | Per Africa Check and News24. | [62] [55] | |
Ohio Press Pro | ohiopress.pro | Same owner as AJUAnews. | [54] | |
thepedogate.com | thepedogate.com | Part of same network as America Talks. Spread the false Pizzagate conspiracy theory. | [44] | |
Right Wing Tribune | Rightwingtribune.com | Per FactCheck.org. Same owners as America's Freedom Fighters. | [44] |
Examples of disinformation campaigns from companies include Eliminalia, a reputation management firm that created a network of over 600 websites for its clients, [63] [64] and Regency Enterprises, which created sites to promote the movie A Cure for Wellness. [65] [66]
Examples of countries with political actors that have been confirmed or suspected to be involved with fake news website networks include Brazil, [67] India, [68] Iran, [3] Italy, [69] the People's Republic of China, [70] the Philippines, [71] Russia, [72] Ukraine (Luhansk), [73] and the United States. [74]
According to the Poynter Institute, there are four categories of false fact-checking websites:
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
AosFatos.com | AosFatos.com | Spoof of Brazilian fact-checking organization Aos Fatos. | [76] | |
Business2Community | business2community.com | Plagiarized fact-checks from Lead Stories. | [77] | |
The California Republican | carepublican.com | Run by Devin Nunes' political campaign. | [75] | |
Descobrindo As Verdades | descobrindoasverdades.blogspot.com | Has the same Google AdSense and Google Analytics codes as AosFatos.com. | [76] | |
Duboka Voda | dubokavoda.com | Partisan false fact-checking site in Croatia, per the Poynter Institute. | [75] | |
Fact Check Armenia | factcheckarmenia.com | A website with ties to Turkish government-related organizations that denies the historical facts of the Armenian genocide. | [78] [79] | |
Fact-Checking Turkey | factcheckingturkey.com | Operated by PR company Bosphorus Global and counters criticism of Turkey in foreign media. It treats statements by Turkish government officials as arbiters of the truth. | [78] [79] [80] [81] | |
Faktiskt.eu | Faktiskt.eu | Spoof of Swedish fact-checking organization Faktiskt. | [82] | |
India News Network | indianewsnetwork.com | Active | Same owner as India Vs Disinformation. | [83] |
India Vs Disinformation | indiavsdisinformation.com | Owned by "a Canadian communications firm called Press Monitor" [84] | [84] [83] | |
Jigyasa Online | jigyasaonline.org | Same owner as India Vs Disinformation. | [83] | |
Middle East Guardians | meguardians.com | Published false fact-check about Jamal Khashoggi. | [85] | |
Notícias Brasil Online | noticiasbrasilonline.com.br | Has the same Google AdSense and Google Analytics codes as AosFatos.com. | [76] | |
O Detetive | odetetive.com | Has the same Google AdSense and Google Analytics codes as AosFatos.com. The website owner was summoned by a regional court in Brazil for publishing a false story about the 2018 attack on Jair Bolsonaro. | [76] [86] | |
OpIndia | opindia.com | Active | OpIndia is an Indian website that has been rejected by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). Fact checkers certified by the IFCN have identified 25 fake news stories published by OpIndia between January 2018 and June 2020. | [87] [88] |
Pensa Brasil | pensabrasil.com | Has the same Google AdSense and Google Analytics codes as AosFatos.com. | [76] | |
Plantão Brasil | plantaobrasil.net | Has the same Google AdSense and Google Analytics codes as AosFatos.com. | [76] | |
Shayeaat | shayeaat.ir | Partisan false fact-checking site in Iran, per the Poynter Institute. | [75] | |
Vøx | voxnews.info | Partisan false fact-checking site in Italy, per the Poynter Institute. Not to be confused with Vox, the American news site. | [75] | |
War on Fakes | waronfakes.com | Defunct | A Russian website that promotes Russian propaganda and disinformation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Seized by the United States federal government in 2024. | [89] [90] [91] [92] |
As of October 2024, NewsGuard has tracked at least 1,090 news/information websites automatically generated by machine learning models that span 16 languages. [93]
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
AlaskaCommons.com | AlaskaCommons.com | [94] | ||
The Americans Daily | theamericansdaily.com | [95] | ||
BestBudgetUSA.com | BestBudgetUSA.com | [96] | ||
Biz Breaking News | bizbreakingnews.com | Summarizes The Financial Times and Fortune. | [97] | |
BNN Breaking | bnnbreaking.com | Redirect | [98] [99] | |
bnngpt.com | Redirect | |||
bnn.network | Redirect | |||
trimfeed.com | Redirect | |||
Boluno.com | Boluno.com | [100] | ||
bosase.com | bosase.com | [100] | ||
Buckeye State Press | buckeyestatepress.com | Created by a journalist to demonstrate the ease of building generative AI-based political news sites. | [101] | |
Celeb Jihad | celebjihad.com | Active | Described by the Daily Beast as a "satirical celebrity gossip website", [102] the site has spread real and fake nude images of celebrities using Photoshop and Generative AI. | [102] [103] [104] [105] |
celebritiesdeaths.com | celebritiesdeaths.com | [106] [96] | ||
County Local News | CountyLocalNews.com | [96] [95] | ||
Daily Business Post | [97] | |||
DailyHeadliner.com | DailyHeadliner.com | [107] | ||
Daily Time Update | [108] | |||
Esspots | esspots.com | Part of the same network as SpaceXMania. | [109] | |
Famadillo.com | Famadillo.com | [106] [96] | ||
FilthyLucre.com | FilthyLucre.com | [96] | ||
FoodingWorld.com | FoodingWorld.com | [94] | ||
Getintoknowledge.com | Getintoknowledge.com | [106] [96] | ||
globalvillagespace.com | globalvillagespace.com | [107] | ||
GlobeEcho.com | GlobeEcho.com | [110] | ||
HistoryFact.in | HistoryFact.in | [96] | ||
iBusiness Day | [108] | |||
IheartDogs.com | IheartDogs.com | [111] | ||
InternationalNewsandViews.com | InternationalNewsandViews.com | [111] | ||
Ireland Top News | irelandtopnews.com | [108] | ||
L'Observatoire de l'Europe | observatoiredeleurope.com | Accused of automatically plagiarizing stories from Euronews. | [112] | |
Lawyer Legality | lawyerlegality.com | [95] | ||
LiverPoolDigest.co.uk | LiverPoolDigest.co.uk | [107] | ||
Lunumi.com | Lunumi.com | [100] | ||
Medical Outline | medicaloutline.com | [108] | ||
Michigan Sports Zone | michigansportszone.com | [111] | ||
NewsGPT | newsgpt.ai | Active | Accused by Annie Lab of "factual errors, misleading images, and possible plagiarism" from Reuters, CBS News, and CNN. [113] | [114] [113] |
News Live 79 | [97] | |||
News Today | sagenews.site | Part of the same network as SpaceXMania. | [109] [115] | |
News You Can't Use | newsyoucantuse.com | Defunct | [116] | |
NewYorkFolk.com | NewYorkFolk.com | [110] | ||
NoticiasDeEmprego.com.br | NoticiasDeEmprego.com.br | [94] | ||
NotRealNews.net | NotRealNews.net | Defunct | [117] | |
Roadan.com | Roadan.com | [107] | ||
SpaceXMania | spacexmania.com | Active | Accused by Christopher Blair, the owner of The Last Line of Defense, of plagiarizing its stories via a generative AI model. The New York Times also found that many stories from SpaceXMania were produced by generative AI. | [118] [119] [120] [121] [109] [122] [123] [124] |
Scoop Earth | ScoopEarth.com | Active | [106] [96] | |
setolu.com | setolu.com | [100] | ||
Time.news | Time.news | [94] | ||
TnewsNetwork.com | TnewsNetwork.com | [96] | ||
TopGolf.kr | TopGolf.kr | [107] | ||
topnews67.com | topnews67.com | Accused of plagiarizing story from The Last Line of Defense, possibly via ChatGPT. | [125] | |
TopStories.com.ng | TopStories.com.ng | [107] | ||
TrendFool.com | TrendFool.com | [110] | ||
US Newsper | usnewsper.com | Registered in Lithuania, falsely claims to be a news site for the United States. Spread false claim that Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 United States presidential election was a hoax. Accused by NewsGuard of having a network of bots to share its stories on social media. | [126] | |
vatolu.com | vatolu.com | [100] | ||
Walli.us | Walli.us | [107] | ||
WaveFunction.info | WaveFunction.info | [96] | ||
WestObserver.com | WestObserver.com | Imitates CNN. | [110] | |
WhatsNew2Day.com | WhatsNew2Day.com | [107] | ||
World-Today-News.com | World-Today-News.com | [94] | ||
Worldtimetodays.com | worldtimetodays.com | Accused of plagiarizing stories from Distractify and Heavy.com. | [127] |
The following table lists websites that have been both considered by fact-checkers as distributing false news and are run by organizations that have been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups.
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
banned.video | banned.video | Sister site of InfoWars. Warned by the US Food and Drug Administration for spreading misinformation on COVID-19 for "claims on videos posted on your websites that establish the intended use of your products and misleadingly represent them as safe and/or effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19." | [128] [129] [130] | |
Bare Naked Islam | barenakedislam.com | [131] [132] | ||
Brighteon | Brighteon.com | Sister site of Natural News. | [133] | |
The Daily Stormer | DailyStormer.com | Per PolitiFact. | [23] [134] | |
Geller Report | Gellerreport.com | Registered through Pamela Geller's organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative. | [44] [132] | |
HoggWatch | hoggwatch.com | Setup by Natural News founders to publish attacks against Parkland high school shooting survivors. | [135] [136] | |
InfoWars | infowars.com | Managed by Alex Jones. Has claimed that millions of people have voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election, that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax, that the Boston Marathon bombing was a false flag attack, and that the Democratic Party was hosting a child sex slave ring out of a pizza restaurant. | [137] [138] | |
National File | nationalfile.com | Sister site of InfoWars. It has promoted misinformation about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines. Leaked texts from Alex Jones's phone indicated that he started National File to promote InfoWars content while obscuring its origin to evade an InfoWars ban on Facebook. | [154] | |
Natural News | naturalnews.com | Formerly NewsTarget, a website for the sale of various dietary supplements, promotion of alternative medicine, controversial nutrition and health claims, and various conspiracy theories, such as "chemtrails", chemophobic claims (including the purported dangers of fluoride in drinking water, anti-perspirants, laundry detergent, monosodium glutamate, aspartame), and purported health problems caused by allegedly "toxic" ingredients in vaccines, including the now-discredited link to autism. | [157] [158] [159] [160] [146] [147] | |
NewsTarget | newstarget.com | Sister site of Natural News. | [133] | |
Next News Network | nextnewsnetwork.com | Combined content from mainstream sites such as the Associated Press with content from sites such as RT and Sputnik. | [161] [162] [163] [164] | |
PrisonPlanet | prisonplanet.com | Sister site of InfoWars. | [165] | |
Red Ice | RedIce.tv | [166] [167] | ||
Return of Kings | returnofkings.com | [168] [169] [170] | ||
TruNews | trunews.com | [171] [172] [147] | ||
WorldNetDaily | wnd.com | A far-right website known for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. | [171] [173] [174] [146] [175] [147] |
The following is a list of websites that have been characterized by journalists and researchers as promoting pseudoscience or junk science.
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
ancient-code.com | ancient-code.com | [168] | ||
Children's Health Defense | childrenshealthdefense.org | Active | Accused by NBC of "[misinterpreting] research to stoke fears that vaccines might be dangerous for children and pregnant women". [176] Filed a lawsuit in 2020 against Facebook, PolitiFact, Science Feedback, and the Poynter Institute over advertisements and fact-checked claims. Produced an anti-vaccine film that was marketed towards Black Americans. One of its participants, a medical history professor, felt that she had been "used" as part of "an advocacy piece for anti-vaxxers." [177] Cited by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" for frequently sharing anti-vaccine misinformation on social media. [178] Banned by Facebook and Instagram in 2022 for repeatedly spreading medical misinformation. | [176] [179] [180] [181] [182] [177] [178] [183] |
Collective Evolution | collective-evolution.com | Active | Spread misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19, and shared conspiracy theories about Mark Zuckerberg and airport body scanners. | [184] [168] [185] [171] [186] |
collectivelyconscious.net | collectivelyconscious.net | [168] | ||
dineal.com | dineal.com | [171] [187] [168] [188] [189] | ||
EWAO (Earth. We Are One) | ewao.com | Published false claim that images of a mountain formation in Antartica is evidence of an ancient civilization. | [168] [190] | |
Feature Remedies | featureremedies.com | Falsely claimed that ginger is a more effective cancer treatment than chemotherapy. | [176] [191] [192] | |
Food Babe | foodbabe.com | Active | Promoted anti-vaccine misinformation. Criticized for promoting chemophobia and "misinformation and fear-mongering about food ingredients." [193] NPR notes that a revenue stream is based on affiliate marketing partnerships with organic and non-GMO food brands. Alleged collusion between Monsanto and the Food and Drug Administration over cancelling a program to monitor glyphosate in food, which Snopes has deemed as false. | [168] [194] [193] [195] |
Galactic Connection | galacticconnection.com | Published an article claiming the existence of aliens was disclosed by Russia after a joke made by then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. | [168] [196] | |
Geoengineering Watch | geoengineeringwatch.org | Active | Published video claiming the existence of solar geoengineering and chemtrails, which Climate Feedback deemed as incorrect. The site owner filed a lawsuit against one of the scientist reviewers, claiming that the fact-check limited the video's reach on social media. The lawsuit was dismissed, with plans to appeal as of September 2022. | [168] [197] [198] [199] |
Goop | goop.com | Active | Accused in 2020 by Truth in Advertising of violating a court settlement to stop spreading false medical claims about Goop products. Criticized by Simon Stevens, the then-Chief Executive of NHS England, for promoting products and procedures that he described as monetarily wasteful or "carrying considerable risks to health". [200] Sells many of the same wellness products as Infowars. | [201] [200] [202] |
GreenMedInfo | greenmedinfo.com | Active | Founded by Sayer Ji, who has been cited by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" for frequently sharing anti-vaccine misinformation on social media. [178] Removed from Pinterest in 2019, which Snopes concluded was likely due to the site’s promotion of health misinformation. Spread false claims about COVID-19 vaccines. Includes a search engine that McGill University describes as "biased toward scientific papers that claim natural food and alternative medicine can prevent and heal diseases." [203] Claims without evidence that marijuana is a cure for cancer. | [204] [205] [203] [206] [207] [208] [209] [178] |
Health Holistic Living | healthyholisticliving.com | Falsely claimed that ginger is a more effective cancer treatment than chemotherapy, that manuka honey is more effective than antibiotics, and that repeatedly boiling water is harmful. Cites peer-reviewed research to draw conclusions not supported by the works in question, such as citing four studies to claim that magnesium is an effective treatment for ADHD. | [176] [191] [207] [210] [211] | |
healthy-holistic-living.com | ||||
Health Impact News | healthimpactnews.com | Falsely linked deaths to flu vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines, and spread unproven cures for COVID-19. | [184] [212] [168] [213] [214] [215] [216] | |
Health Nut News | healthnutnews.com | Founded by Erin Elizabeth, who was cited by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" for frequently sharing anti-vaccine misinformation on social media. [178] Removed from Pinterest in 2019, which Snopes concluded was likely due to the site’s promotion of health misinformation. Spread conspiracy theories falsely alleging that the deaths of doctors or alternative health practitioners were connected. | [178] [217] [171] [218] [168] [219] [220] [221] [222] [223] [204] | |
In5D | in5d.com | [168] | ||
The Institute for Creation Research | icr.org | [168] | ||
Institute for Responsible Technology | responsibletechnology.org | Founded by Jeffrey M. Smith. | [168] [224] | |
Medical Kidnap | medicalkidnap.com | Spread false or unproven claims about cases involving Child protective services. Falsely framed COVID-19 vaccines as "experimental". [216] Part of the same network as Vaccine Impact and Health Impact News. | [171] [225] [226] [216] | |
Mercola.com | mercola.com | Founded by Joseph Mercola, who was cited by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" for frequently sharing anti-vaccine misinformation on social media. [178] Removed from Pinterest in 2019, which Snopes concluded was likely due to the site’s promotion of health misinformation. | [178] [204] [227] | |
Natural Blaze | naturalblaze.com | [168] | ||
Principia Scientific International | principia-scientific.com | Repeatedly published climate change denial and false claims about COVID-19. | [228] [229] [230] [231] [232] | |
principia-scientific.org | ||||
RealFarmacy | realfarmacy.com | Noted by the Wall Street Journal to promote homeopathy. Spread false claims about COVID-19 origins and unproven treatments. Spread anti-vaccine misinformation and has been noted by NewsGuard to have "promoted ineffective and potentially dangerous cancer treatments." [233] | [168] [234] [235] [236] [237] [238] [233] [239] | |
Riposte laique | ripostelaique.com | Spread false claim that the French government approved euthanasia during the COVID-19 pandemic. | [184] [240] [241] | |
Science Vibe | sciencevibe.com | Reposted satirical story from World News Daily Report and framed it as genuine news. Reposted hoax on assassination of Marilyn Monroe. | [242] [243] [244] | |
Stop Mandatory Vaccination | stopmandatoryvaccination.com | The founder has been described by NBC News as "a man without medical training who has made a name as a leader of the online anti-vaccination movement." [245] Censured by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2018 for distributing a Facebook ad targeted towards parents with misleading claims about vaccines. Accused by the Guardian of "[using] Facebook’s advertising tools to target their propaganda exclusively at women." [246] Publishes "accounts from parents who claim that a baby's death was the result of a vaccination. Many of those viral articles have been debunked with official, medically supported explanations that include sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia and accidental asphyxiation." [176] Misinformation from the group has resulted in at least one death: a child whose mother was urged by other group members not to give her son Tamiflu after he had a bout of the flu. Accounts associated with the site and its founder have been suspended from Facebook and Twitter in 2020 for promoting QAnon conspiracy theories. The founder’s YouTube channel was demonetized in 2019 due to "[promoting] anti-vaccination content". [247] Ads to the site were also removed by Facebook in 2019 for violating Facebook’s policies on misinformation about vaccines. The founder’s Twitter account was reinstated in 2023. | [176] [248] [245] [246] [249] [250] [251] [247] | |
Technocracy News | technocracy.news | Spread misinformation about face masks with respect to COVID-19 as well as COVID-19 vaccinations. Falsely claimed that carbon dioxide is not a greenhouse gas. The site owner edits a health newsletter for Newsmax. | [184] [252] [253] [254] [255] | |
The Truth About Cancer | thetruthaboutcancer.com | According to NewsGuard, "repeatedly promotes ineffective, unproven, and dangerous treatments for cancer". [256] | [168] [256] | |
TruthKings | truthkings.com | Posted false allegations of fraud in the 2008 US presidential election. Spread false information about vaccines. Reportedly owned by Sherri Tenpenny. | [189] [188] [171] [257] [258] [259] [260] | |
Vaccine Impact | vaccineimpact.com | Part of the same network as Medical Kidnap and Health Impact News. | [216] [227] | |
The Waking Times | wakingtimes.com | Accused by the Global Disinformation Index of spreading disinformation on COVID-19 public policies. | [188] [168] [261] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chicks On The Right | chicksonright.com | Spread false claim about an upcoming "mini ice age". [262] | [188] [263] [262] [189] [171] | |
chicksontheright.com | ||||
Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL) | clintel.org | [264] [265] | ||
NoTricksZone | notrickszone.com | [264] [265] | ||
Klimaat Feiten | klimaatfeiten.nl | [264] [265] | ||
Climate Gate | climategate.nl | [264] [265] | ||
Energy Talking Points | energytalkingpoints.com | [264] [265] | ||
Clima et Verité | climatetverite.net | [264] [265] | ||
Climato-Réalistes | climato-realistes.fr | [264] [265] | ||
Global Warming Scare | globalwarmingscare.wordpress.com | [265] | ||
Climate Fraud | klima-schwindel.com | [265] | ||
Climate Skeptical | climat-sceptique.over-blog.com | [265] | ||
Climate Depot | climatedepot.com | [265] | ||
Climate Exit (CLEXIT) | clexit.net | [265] | ||
Climate Resistance | climate-resistance.org | [265] | ||
CO2 Coalition | co2coalition.org | [265] | ||
The Daily Sceptic | dailysceptic.org | Publishes anti-vaccine and climate change denial misinformation. | [266] [264] | |
The Daily Wire | dailywire.com | Published multiple false claims that were debunked by Snopes. Per the Daily Beast, Mike Adams would repeatedly post to the site "to attack and mock... students, staff, and faculty" at University of North Carolina Wilmington. [267] Identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as a major distributor of climate change denialism. In 2022, the Global Disinformation Index described the Daily Wire as having a high risk of disinformation due to "bias", "sensational language" and "a high degree of sensational visuals". [268] Alongside Ken Paxton and The Federalist, filed a lawsuit in 2023 against the United States Department of State, partially as a result of this assessment by the GDI, alleging censorship of right-wing media and revenue loss. | [189] [269] [268] [270] [188] [171] [271] [272] [273] [274] [267] | |
De Groene Rekenkamer | groene-rekenkamer.nl | [265] | ||
Destaatvanhet Klimaat | destaatvanhet-klimaat.nl | [265] | ||
Ecologia, Clima, Aquecimento | ecologia-clima-aquecimento.blogspot.com | [265] | ||
Climate Curious | shortfall.blog | [265] | ||
Climate Etc | judithcurry.com | [265] | ||
Environmental Progress | environmentalprogress.org | [265] | ||
European Climate Realist Network | ecr.network | [265] | ||
Everything Climate | everythingclimate.com | [265] | ||
Klimaat Gek | klimaatgek.nl | [265] | ||
Klima Realisme | klimarealisme.dk | [265] | ||
Klima Realistene | klimarealistene.com | [265] | ||
Klimat Sans | klimatsans.com | [265] | ||
Klimat Upplysningen | klimatupplysningen.se | [265] | ||
Koklimaat | koklimaat.nl | [265] | ||
La Question Climatique | laquestionclimatique.org | [265] | ||
Science, Climat et Énergie | science-climat-energie.be | [265] | ||
Sky Fall | skyfall.fr | [265] | ||
Weather Action | weatheraction.com | [265] | ||
A Grande Farsa do Aquecimento Global | agfdag.wordpress.com | [265] |
Numerous websites have been created by companies that contain satirical or news parody content that is intended to be or has been designated by fact-checkers as fake news.
Examples of countries with troll farms that have been confirmed or suspected to be involved with fake news website networks include Cambodia, [275] Ghana, [276] North Macedonia, [277] the Republic of Georgia, [278] and Russia. [279]
The following table lists websites that have allowed users to generate their own hoaxes that appear in the form of news articles. While the stated purpose is for users to prank their friends, many of the resulting false stories have spread on social media and have led to harassment. [280]
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
12minutos.com | 12minutos.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
24aktuelles.com | 24aktuelles.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
24hnoticias.com | 24hnoticias.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
actualite.co | actualite.co | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
actualites.co | actualites.co | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] [171] | |
actualitesdujour.fr | actualitesdujour.fr | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
theasociatedpress.com | theasociatedpress.com | Same owner as The Fake News Generator. | [282] [283] | |
thebreakingnews.co | thebreakingnews.co | Same owner as React 365. | [51] | |
BreakingNews247.net | BreakingNews247.net | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Same owner as React 365. | [23] [51] | |
BreakingNews365.net | BreakingNews365.net | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Same owner as React 365. | [23] [51] [281] | |
cbs-news.us | cbs-news.us | Same owner as The Fake News Generator. | [284] | |
cbsnews.us | cbsnews.us | Same owner as The Fake News Generator. | [284] | |
channel22news.com | channel22news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
Channel 23 News | Channel23News.com | Prank website for generating false stories. | [46] | |
Channel24news.com | Channel24news.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [23] [51] [280] | |
channel28news.com | channel28news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel33news.com | channel33news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel34news.com | channel34news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel40news.com | channel40news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel45news.com | channel45news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel46news.com | channel46news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel55news.com | channel55news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel56news.com | channel56news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel59news.com | channel59news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel60news.com | channel60news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel62news.com | channel62news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel63news.com | channel63news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel65news.com | channel65news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel66news.com | channel66news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel68news.com | channel68news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
channel77news.com | channel77news.com | Same owner as Channel 23 News. | [51] [280] | |
Clone Zone | clonezone.link | Impersonated The New York Times to spread the false story that Elizabeth Warren had endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016. | [285] [286] [287] [288] [289] [290] [291] | |
cnoticias.net | cnoticias.net | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
en-bref.fr | en-bref.fr | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
fakeawish.com | fakeawish.com | [292] | ||
The Fake News Generator | thefakenewsgenerator.com | [284] | ||
fakeShare | fakeshare.com | [293] [294] | ||
FeedNewz | feednewz.com | Renamed to prank.link. | [295] | |
flashinfo.org | flashinfo.org | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] [171] | |
Journific | journific.com | Often used to spread false claims of businesses about to close. | [296] | |
nachrichten.de.com | nachrichten.de.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
nachrichten247.de | nachrichten247.de | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
nachrichten365.com | nachrichten365.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
net-infosnews.com | net-infosnews.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
thenewyorktimes.company | thenewyorktimes.company | Same owner as The Fake News Generator. | [282] [283] | |
Nipsy’s News | nipsysnews.com | [297] | ||
noticias-frescas.com | noticias-frescas.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
noticias365.info | noticias365.info | [171] [298] | ||
notizzia.com | notizzia.com | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
nsfnews.com | nsfnews.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
prank.link | prank.link | [295] [293] | ||
prankyourfriends.com | prankyourfriends.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
PunkShare | PunkShare.com | [299] | ||
react2424.com | react2424.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
React 365 | React365.com | This user-created fake news generator, supposedly for "pranking your friends", had at least two stories that went viral. | [25] [51] [281] | |
routers.news | routers.news | Same owner as PunkShare. Spoof of Reuters. | [300] | |
SHRTURL | shrturl.co | [301] | ||
toutelinfo.fr | toutelinfo.fr | Same owner as React 365. | [51] [281] | |
trend-news.com | trend-news.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
yam.fr | yam.fr | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] | |
youreact247.com | youreact247.com | Part of the same network as React 365. | [281] |
Many fake news websites can be assessed as likely being part of the same network campaign if some combination of the following are true:
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
Action News 3 | actionnews3.com | Spread death hoaxes about various public figures. | [25] [306] [307] | |
Breaking13News.com | Breaking13News.com | [306] [307] | ||
Daily Buzz Live | DailyBuzzLive.com | Per PolitiFact. Republished a hoax about worldwide blackout, a false claim that had been spreading since 2012. Hosted on the same webserver as Action News 3. | [23] [308] [309] [307] | |
dailyviralbuzz.com | dailyviralbuzz.com | [307] | ||
News4KTLA.com | News4KTLA.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact. Has the same IP address as Action News 3. Repurposed an Associated Press article with a false headline. Cited story from World News Daily Report. | [23] [310] [311] [312] [313] [306] [307] | |
News4Local.com | News4Local.com | [306] [307] | ||
Now 8 News | Now8News.com | Started in 2015, this fake news website is also designed to look like a local television outlet. Several of the website's fake stories have successfully spread on social media. Has the same IP address as Action News 3. | [25] [314] [315] [310] [306] [307] | |
TheRacketReport.com | TheRacketReport.com | Per PolitiFact. Has the same IP address as Action News 3. Repurposed an Associated Press article with a false headline. | [23] [310] [311] [307] | |
realstonedtimes.com | realstonedtimes.com | [307] | ||
Straight Stoned | straightstoned.com | Hosted on the same webserver as Action News 3. | [51] [316] [307] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
abc14news.com | abc14news.com | Spoof of ABC News. | [317] [318] | |
abcnews-us.com | abcnews-us.com | Spoof of ABC News. | [25] [51] | |
abcnews5.com | abcnews5.com | Spoof of ABC News. | [319] | |
AlabamaObserver.com | AlabamaObserver.com | [23] [302] | ||
albertatimes.com | albertatimes.com | [302] | ||
Batty Post | battypost.com | Published a false claim about being acquired by East Asia Tribune, a page that has the same Google AdSense ID. | [302] [51] [320] [321] | |
Border Herald | borderherald.com | [302] | ||
Boston Leader | bostonleader.com | Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site. | [23] [25] [322] [302] | |
boston-post.com | boston-post.com | Not to be confused with the Boston Post. Part of the same network as abcnews-us.com. | [317] [319] | |
cairnstimes.com | cairnstimes.com | [302] | ||
cbs15.com | cbs15.com | Spoof of CBS News. Possibly part of same network as abc14news.com. | [323] [324] | |
cbsnews10.com | cbsnews10.com | Spoof of CBS News. Part of same network as abc14news.com. | [317] [318] | |
cbsnews15.com | cbsnews15.com | Spoof of CBS News. | [319] | |
cbsnews24.com | cbsnews24.com | Spoof of CBS News. | [319] | |
cgcnews.com | cgcnews.com | Part of the same network as nbc9news.com. | [324] [323] | |
cnn-globalnews.com | cnn-globalnews.com | Impostor site of CNN. Published death hoax on Clint Eastwood. | [325] [302] [51] | |
cnn-internationaledition.com | cnn-internationaledition.com | Impostor site of CNN. | [302] [51] | |
coindesk-us.com | coindesk-us.com | Spoof of CoinDesk. | [319] | |
countyweekly.com | countyweekly.com | [51] | ||
dallastimes.us | dallastimes.us | [51] | ||
DenverInquirer.com | DenverInquirer.com | [23] [302] | ||
dublintribune.com | dublintribune.com | [51] | ||
East Asia Tribune | eastasiatribune.com | Published death hoax about Kim Jong-un. | [326] | |
Florida Sun Post | floridasunpost.com | Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site. | [322] [23] [302] | |
focustimes.org | focustimes.org | [302] | ||
foreignjournal.com | foreignjournal.com | [302] | ||
fox-26houston.com | fox-26houston.com | [319] | ||
fox-32chicago.com | fox-32chicago.com | [319] | ||
foxnews-us.com | foxnews-us.com | Part of the same network as abcnews-us.com. | [317] [319] | |
foxnews15.com | foxnews15.com | [319] | ||
freeinquirer.com | freeinquirer.com | [51] | ||
The Jackson Telegraph | jacksontelegraph.com | [325] [302] [51] | ||
longarticles.com | longarticles.com | [302] | ||
MississippiHerald.com | MississippiHerald.com | [23] [302] [51] | ||
nbc9news.com | nbc9news.com | Spoof of NBC. Part of same network as abc14news.com. | [317] [318] [323] [324] | |
nbcnews11.com | nbcnews11.com | [319] | ||
nbcnews15.com | nbcnews15.com | [319] | ||
nbcnews6.com | nbcnews6.com | [319] | ||
newjournal.us | newjournal.us | [51] | ||
thenyherald.com | thenyherald.com | Part of the same network as nbc9news.com. | [324] | |
pressunion.org | pressunion.org | [302] | ||
si-nba.com | si-nba.com | [319] | ||
sundayregister.com | sundayregister.com | [302] | ||
The Sunday Inquirer | sundayinquirer.com | [325] [302] | ||
The Sunday Post | sundaypost.org | [302] | ||
surreytelegraph.com | surreytelegraph.com | [51] | ||
sydneybulletin.com | sydneybulletin.com | [51] | ||
Telegraph Sun | telegraphsun.com | [302] | ||
timesofcambodia.com | timesofcambodia.com | [51] | ||
tmz-us.com | tmz-us.com | Spoof of TMZ. Part of the same network as nbc9news.com. | [324] | |
tvtnews.com | tvtnews.com | Part of the same network as nbc9news.com. | [324] [323] | |
unitednews.org | unitednews.org | [302] | ||
us-nbcnews.com | us-nbcnews.com | Spoof of NBC News. Part of the same network as nbc9news.com. | [324] | |
usatoday-go.com | usatoday-go.com | Has the same IP address as cbsnews10.com. | [317] [327] | |
Vancouver Inquirer | vancouverinquirer.com | [302] [51] | ||
vice-en-us.com | vice-en-us.com | Part of the same network as abcnews-us.com. | [317] [319] | |
weekendherald.com | weekendherald.com | [302] | ||
yahoonews-us.com | yahoonews-us.com | Part of the same network as abcnews-us.com. | [317] [319] |
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
20minutenews.com | 20minutenews.com | [51] [303] | ||
alertchild.com | alertchild.com | [51] [303] | ||
areyousleep.com | areyousleep.com | [51] [303] | ||
badcriminals.com | badcriminals.com | [51] [303] | ||
cartelreport.com | cartelreport.com | [51] [303] | ||
Celebtricity | celebtricity.com | Has falsely claimed that Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Chicago, Illinois after more than 300 people were shot in one night; that a Wendy's employee put vaginal discharge on a burger as revenge against a partner; and that Bryshere Y. Gray was Jay-Z's son. Contains a "notorious fauxtire and satire entertainment" disclaimer which used to read "the most notorious urban satirical entertainment website in the world". [328] | [329] [328] [330] | |
channel5000.com | channel5000.com | [51] [303] | ||
drugsofficial.com | drugsofficial.com | [51] [303] | ||
everydaybreakingnews.com | everydaybreakingnews.com | [51] [303] | ||
FedsAlert.com | FedsAlert.com | [23] [51] [303] | ||
folksvideo.com | folksvideo.com | [51] [303] | ||
thefrt.com | thefrt.com | [51] [303] | ||
jokerviral.com | jokerviral.com | [51] [303] | ||
mrnewswatch.com | mrnewswatch.com | [51] [303] | ||
Persecutes.com | Persecutes.com | [23] [51] [303] | ||
qualitysharing.com | qualitysharing.com | [51] [303] | ||
scaryhours.com | scaryhours.com | [51] [303] | ||
smhwtfnews.com | smhwtfnews.com | [51] [303] | ||
tmzbreaking.com | tmzbreaking.com | [51] [303] | ||
tmzbusiness.com | tmzbusiness.com | [303] | ||
tmzcomedy.com | tmzcomedy.com | [51] [303] | ||
tmzhiphop.com | tmzhiphop.com | [51] [303] | ||
tmzurban.com | tmzurban.com | [303] | ||
tmzuncut.com | tmzuncut.com | [51] [303] | ||
TMZWorldNews.com | TMZWorldNews.com | [23] [51] [303] | ||
tmzworldstar.com | tmzworldstar.com | [51] [303] | ||
tmzworldstarnews.com | tmzworldstarnews.com | [51] [303] | ||
ViralActions.com | ViralActions.com | Cited story from World News Daily Report. | [23] [51] [303] [313] | |
viralcocaine.com | viralcocaine.com | [303] | ||
viraldevil.com | viraldevil.com | [51] [303] | ||
viralmugshot.com | viralmugshot.com | [51] [303] | ||
viralpropaganda.com | viralpropaganda.com | [51] [303] | ||
viralspeech.com | viralspeech.com | [51] [303] | ||
viralstuppid.com | viralstuppid.com | [51] [303] [331] [171] |
Used a technique called "domain hopping" - repeatedly switching domain names to stay ahead of advertising blacklists on social media. [332] [333]
Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|
PoliticsFocus | anypolitical.com | [332] | ||
PoliticsFocus | cloudpolitical.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | goldpolitics.com | [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | flexpolitics.com | [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | jetpolitics.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | maxrepublican.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | politicsbee.com | [332] | ||
PoliticsFocus | politicsedge.com | [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | politicsfast.com | [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | Politicsfocus.com | Per FactCheck.org. | [44] [332] [334] [335] | |
PoliticsFocus | politicsmate.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | politicstec.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | politicsvision.com | [332] [334] | ||
PoliticsFocus | sunrepublican.com | [332] | ||
PoliticsFocus | totalpolitical.com | [334] |
The following article lists miscellaneous sites that are one-offs or otherwise lack information that would place them into one of the other categories above.
There are multiple urban legends centering around the fast-food chain McDonald's. These legends include claims about the food and allegations of discrimination by the company.
Fact-checking is the process of verifying the factual accuracy of questioned reporting and statements. Fact-checking can be conducted before or after the text or content is published or otherwise disseminated. Internal fact-checking is such checking done in-house by the publisher to prevent inaccurate content from being published; when the text is analyzed by a third party, the process is called external fact-checking.
Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation can exist without specific malicious intent; disinformation is distinct in that it is deliberately deceptive and propagated. Misinformation can include inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or false information as well as selective or half-truths. In January 2024, the World Economic Forum identified misinformation and disinformation, propagated by both internal and external interests, to "widen societal and political divides" as the most severe global risks within the next two years.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is a Chinese biopharmaceutical company based in Haidian District, Beijing that focuses on the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases. The company was listed on the Nasdaq but the exchange halted Sinovac's trading in February 2019 due to a proxy fight. The company has faced bribery probes in China. Its COVID-19 vaccine was also the target of a covert disinformation campaign by the US government.
Alex Norman Berenson is an American writer who was a reporter for The New York Times, and has authored several thriller novels as well a book on corporate financial filings. His 2019 book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence sparked controversy, earning denunciations from many in the scientific and medical communities.
TinEye is a reverse image search engine developed and offered by Idée, Inc., a company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the first image search engine on the web to use image identification technology rather than keywords, metadata or watermarks. TinEye allows users to search not using keywords but with images. Upon submitting an image, TinEye creates a "unique and compact digital signature or fingerprint" of the image and matches it with other indexed images. This procedure is able to match even heavily edited versions of the submitted image, but will not usually return similar images in the results.
Fake news websites are websites on the Internet that deliberately publish fake news—hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation purporting to be real news—often using social media to drive web traffic and amplify their effect. Unlike news satire, these websites deliberately seek to be perceived as legitimate and taken at face value, often for financial or political gain. Fake news websites monetize their content by exploiting the vulnerabilities of programmatic ad trading, which is a type of online advertising in which ads are traded through machine-to-machine auction in a real-time bidding system.
World News Daily Report (WNDR) was a satirical fake news website purporting to be an American Jewish Zionist newspaper based in Tel Aviv and dedicated to covering biblical archeology news and other mysteries around the globe.
The People's Voice is an American fake news website based in Los Angeles. The site was founded as Your News Wire in 2014 by Sean Adl-Tabatabai and his husband, Sinclair Treadway. In November 2018, it rebranded itself as NewsPunch. Your News Wire was revived as a separate website in November 2020, and has continued publishing hoaxes similar to those in NewsPunch. In 2023, NewsPunch adopted its current name, The People's Voice.
Climate Feedback (CF) is a web-based content annotation tool that allows qualified scientists to comment on stories online, adding context and noting inaccuracies. It is one of three websites under the Science Feedback parent organization that fact-checks media coverage. Science Feedback is a non-profit organization registered in France.
Acuitas Therapeutics Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was established in February 2009 to specialize in the development of delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics based on lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, a key component of the mRNA vaccines deployed for COVID-19.
Disclose.tv is a disinformation outlet based in Germany that presents itself as a news aggregator. It is known for promoting conspiracy theories and fake news, including COVID-19 misinformation and anti-vaccine narratives.
The Ligma joke first gained popularity online in July 2018. "Ligma" sounds similar to the words "lick my", and became a sophomoric Internet meme to set up a crude joke. When someone unfamiliar with the term is prompted to ask "What's ligma?", the punchline is to respond with "Ligma balls", "Ligma nuts", "Ligma butt" or something similar.
Some of these sites are intended to look like real publications (there are false versions of major outlets like ABC and MSNBC) but share only fake news; others are straight-up propaganda created by foreign nations (Russia and Macedonia, among others).
Narrowly defined, 'fake news' means a made-up story with an intention to deceive, often geared toward getting clicks.
The man behind one of America's biggest 'fake news' websites is a former BBC worker from London whose mother writes many of his stories. Sean Adl-Tabatabai, 35, runs YourNewsWire.com, the source of scores of dubious news stories, including claims that the Queen had threatened to abdicate if the UK voted against Brexit.
Jones' text messages suggest Jones and his collaborators sought to launder his Infowars content to social media sites that had banned it, while disguising its true origin. For example, the texts reveal that Jones created the junk-news website National File.
In leaked texts shared earlier this month by the Southern Poverty Law Center between him and well-known Republican operative Roger Stone in 2020, Jones said "off record this is my site" in relation to National File.
As of press time, the homepage of their website lists links to right-wing fake news sites like WorldNetDaily...