Fake news and propaganda: easy ways to recognize | NordVPN

Propaganda is everywhere and so is fake news. Propaganda is the dissemination of information with the purpose to influence or manipulate its recipients. Fake news, on the other hand, is propaganda that’s been made to look like news. In this video we explain what propaganda and fake news are and give some tips on how to recognize them. 👉 Fake news and propaganda are everyone — learn to recognize them 📣 Access the free internet with NordVPN 🛡️ Find our offer here: https://content.nordvpn.com/3ibLKml *** 🔔 Subscribe to get the latest content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZhRxyloC-qzURiOa3vbFQ?sub_confirmation=1 *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 00:04 Propaganda in Russia 00:39 What is propaganda 01:11 What is fake news 01:33 Caesar’s propaganda 02:09 Smokey Bear 02:27 Fake news on social media 03:25 What is NOT fake news 03:56 Read beyond the headline 04:10 Check the sources *** Russia's invasion of Ukraine illustrates how easily propaganda distorts reality. Russia has invaded a peaceful neighbor with a massive military force. The Russian armed forces have attacked civilians, bombed residential buildings, and forced many Ukrainians to flee their homes. However, the Russian authorities deny that it's an act of war. They say it's a special military operation in defense of Russia. And they censor or persecute anyone who disagrees. It's nothing new. State-controlled media outlets have been spreading fake news for decades in Russia. Propaganda is usually untrue — but not necessarily. If you go around town telling everyone, "I have beautiful hair" with the sole aim to manipulate the public opinion in your favor — that's propaganda. Even if you have a fantastic hairdo, you're spreading this information not to inform, but to influence. But fake news is also always fake. It's a deliberate attempt to deceive the audience. Fake news is misinformation, exaggeration, and completely or partly untrue stories. Fake news is publishing a news article about your amazing hair when you're actually bald. Today we often encounter malicious propaganda in the form of fake news. Fake news can take on many shapes: memes, videos, fake websites, troll comments, or a combination of them. Social media is an especially fertile ground for misinformation. Make up a polarizing story, slap on an attention-grabbing headline, share a link on Facebook, and many readers will fall for it. Fake news plays on emotion. It aims to bypass the rational mind and elicit a spontaneous response — like, share, and comment. Get angry, scared, or hateful because that's when you're most vulnerable. Fortunately, you can recognize most fake news using a few best practices. Identify what is NOT fake news. Read beyond the headline. Many readers scroll through the headlines without bothering to check the contents. Reading the article can often reveal that a sensational headline was just a cheap attention-grabbing tactic. Check the source. Check the author. Check the facts mentioned in the story. Make use of various fact-checking websites. Fake news and propaganda are everywhere. But the truth is more prevalent — you just have to look for it. *** About NordVPN NordVPN is the world’s leading VPN provider and a flagship service of Nord Security. We aim to provide internet users with all the necessary online security tools. What is a VPN? VPN is short for virtual private network. It’s a service that protects online activity and changes IP address and virtual location. *** Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bxIlSvjIMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhS6AcbUhA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpEN_7TEZSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZuKEwuZznw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzNjNh9sB9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS0wDGnOgXE *** Check out NordVPN’s German and French channels to enjoy top-notch cybersecurity content in your native language! ⏯️ 🌐 🇫🇷 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuDJsysR3COx7T05jNXn4PQ 🇩🇪 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK-fTklZOWGfC77UyTw4-Ww #propaganda #FakeNews #cyberwar