The emergence and public perception of misinformationLeskovar, Dejan (Avtor) Trupej, Janko (Mentor) Plemenitaš, Katja (Komentor) fake newsspreadidentificationmal-informationIn this thesis, we deal with fake news, its history and identification combined with how people perceive it. We discuss the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on fake news and the role artificial intelligence plays in manufacturing it. We look at how people define fake news, how misinformation is identified and how it spreads. The theoretical portion analyses and compares several definitions of fake news, in order to define what fake news is. Several existing studies on the topic are analysed. Two fake news articles are analysed and compared based on their structure. Ways of identifying fake news are presented, along with a suggestion to use fake news as a topic when teaching English. The empirical section is based on two online surveys in 2018 and 2024. The results show that people encounter fake news very often but are taking steps, such as viewing multiple sources, to identify fake news. The majority of respondents consider political bias or agenda to be the main reason behind fake news. Most respondents get their news online but do not trust social media as a source; however, many consider it a good starting point. No significant differences between various demographics were found in the ability to identify fake news. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on fake news, the differences in responses between the surveys are minimal.[D. Leskovar]20242024-12-17 11:34:45Magistrsko delo/naloga91372sl