Fake news headlines are going viral. Here’s what you need to know.

An image of a headline that appears to have originated in the Atlantic went viral in early October as it suggested Vice President Kamala Harris “might have to steal” the election to save democracy.

But the title was made up. The Atlantic said in a statement that the images were the latest in a series of fake Atlantic news stories, most of which were “grossly falsified, with crude resolution, and some using hateful language.”

This is a possible fake title misleading voters and society at a time when accurate factual information is important, according to Jeffrey Blevins, a professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Journalism & Public and International Affairs Department.

“When you go online, there’s just this firehose of information,” Blevins said. “I think we need serious media literacy education that starts sooner, that starts in K-12.”

A continuing trend of misinformation

Fake news headlines that deceive the public are not a new phenomenon, and they are not focused on politics.

CBS News identified the fake headlines it called from outlets including The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN and local news sites. The title refers to the 2024 campaign, aid to Ukraine, the Paris 2024 Olympics and other subjects.

Some of the fake headlines posted on social media signaled that the article was not real. But not always. One apparent fake headline from The Atlantic was viewed more than 3 million times X, with no label identifying it as fabricated.

One concern for wrong information experts who are behind spreading and bolstering fake title images. “The real problem is when elected officials, politicians, celebrities, influencers start reposting this stuff,” Blevins said. “It gives them real credibility, and frankly, they should know better. I think a lot of them do, they just don’t care.”

Elon Musk, the owner of X, previously shared a fake Telegraph headline that was seen more than 1.5 million times and caused the publication to release a statement that the headline was not real. The satirical account on X also shared the fake headline, racking up millions of views.

A study in April 2024 conducted by MIT and Columbia University researchers found that when faced with fake and real news stories to see if the public could distinguish between the two, 50% of those surveyed were not sure, 47% chose the true story and 3% the fake story.

Truth from fiction is just one of the challenges when it comes to disinformation and the media, Jason Davis, a research professor at Syracuse University whose work focuses on detecting disinformation and misinformation, told CBS News.

“Right now, the biggest challenge we have is low barriers to creation, distribution at scale and volume and speeding up false propaganda and disinformation campaigns,” Davis said. “It takes very little resources.”

How to spot fake news headlines

With misinformation on the rise online, experts say there are a few quick and easy ways to check if a headline is real:

1. Find primary sources: Turn off social media and search for headlines online to see any results. Better yet, look for the title directly on the outlet’s website to see if it’s available.
2. Look for visual clues: Are the images or articles high-quality images, or pixels like this fake New York Times headline image? Does the author or date of publication appear? Does the font and style match other real articles from the same outlet?
3. Measure your reaction: A bad actor can create a fake headline using catchy language to get an emotional response from the reader.
4. Check out other news outlets: What are your local news outlets reporting? Do national outlets have similar coverage? Try to find some reputable sources that report this information.
5. Check your mindset: When you’re scrolling through social media, you may not be taking in information with a critical mindset. It is important to protect the information you find online.

Davis warned that the days before, during and after November presidential election it will be the perfect window of time for those who want to spread misinformation.

“Dividends are deceptively high,” Davis said. “I think we’re going to see a tsunami of content like this, because I just have to fool you during the critical moments and then get the results I want in the real world.”