Fake News is not just information you disagree with, although we see it used in this context more and more.
Fake News is important to understand, recognize, and evaluate, because it can affect both your academic and personal life.
In your academic career, you may be required to use information from online magazines and websites. If you do end up finding and using online articles, you want to make sure you are checking the validity of the source before you use it in an assignment.
Using Fake News articles in your assignment could damage your academic credibility, and your instructor might doubt your ability to effectively understand the difference between legitimate and illegitimate news or information. Recognizing Fake News, and more generally recognizing when a piece of information is trying to trick or confuse or sway your opinion is an important skill to gain, as an academic but also as a digital citizen.
Look to our tips on "How to Spot Fake News" for more information on recognizing and dealing with Fake News.