Details of Research Outputs

This study aims to improve the understanding of modern fake news as it concerns companies. Specifically, the study attempts to identify the main features of the companies targeted by fake news, the thematic issues of fake news, the stakeholders mentioned or implicated, and the different types of fake news. Considering the 2016 United States presidential election was a dominant theme in the societal discourse when the concept of fake news was popularized, this study also investigated the potentially differing dynamics of fake news about companies across three different time frames—before, during, and after the election process. A qualitative content analysis of 61 business-related fake news claims was conducted. They have been fact-checked and found to contain at least significant false elements—they were rated by the fact-checking website Snopes as “false” (n = 27), “mostly false” (n = 13), or “mixture” (n = 21). The sample data covered the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle (February 1, 2016–January 20, 2017), as well as the year prior to and the year after this period (i.e., February 1, 2015–January 31, 2016, and January 21, 2017–January 21, 2018, respectively). Results indicated that large, publicly traded companies based in the US were more likely to become the target of fake news. The majority of the fake news stories were related to products and services, and consumers and customers were the major stakeholders. Many other fake news claims were about corporate political involvement or race relations, and thus took on a political tone or character. However, the 2016 U.S. presidential election seemed not to have much influence on the content of the fake news stories. Furthermore, misleading content, false connection, and fabricated content were the most common types of fake news about companies. This study presents one of the first examinations of fake news in the business world. As companies have long been a target of deliberate misinformation and hoaxes, an empirical examination of different aspects and components of fake news as well as the linkages between fake news and sociopolitical contexts would fill important gaps in the existing research on fake news.