Professor Kelly Garrett, professor Robert Bond and communication PhD student Shannon Poulsen shared their results from studying misinformation, satire, social media and democracy.

They found that "many of the false stories weren’t the kind that were trying to intentionally deceive their readers; they actually came from satirical sites, and many people seemed to believe them."

People commonly mistake satire for real news, said Garrett, Bond and Poulsen. The important parts are recognizing fake news and flagging it to be fact-checked.

"Clearly labeling satirical content as satire can help social media users navigate a complex and sometimes confusing news environment," Garrett, Bond and Poulsen said.

Read the full article on The Conversation or Ohio State News.