REAL Media Literacy Vocab

satire

The use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or expose issues, often in politics or society

false content

Information that is entirely untrue or inaccurate

imposter content

Content where the source is falsely presented as a credible or real entity

fabricated content

Completely made-up information with no factual basis

manipulated content

Real information or images that have been altered to mislead

bias

A tendency to favor one perspective or viewpoint over others

spin

Presenting information in a way that favors a particular interpretation

opinion stated as fact

A personal belief presented as if it is objectively true

sensationalism

Exaggerating or overhyping information to provoke strong emotional reactions

confirmation bias

The tendency to favor information that supports existing beliefs

misinformation

False or inaccurate information shared without intent to deceive

disinformation

False information deliberately spread to mislead people

malinformation

True information used in a harmful or misleading way

fallacy

An error in reasoning that weakens an argument

red herring

Introducing irrelevant information to distract from the main issue

strawman

Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack

genetic fallacy

Judging a claim based on its origin rather than its merit

false cause

Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship without sufficient evidence

appeals to authority

Claiming something is true because an authority figure says so

ad hominem

Attacking the person instead of addressing their argument

ad populum

Arguing something is true because many people believe it

fact traps

Misleading use of facts or statistics to support a flawed argument

credible sources

Sources that are trustworthy, reliable, and supported by evidence