“Fake News” can be defined as news stories meant to intentionally mislead readers due to lack of facts and reality. 2016 saw its fair share of fake news and Donald Trump’s win as President was credited partially to the inaccurate stories shared on social media .
As the year came to an end, lists of fake news sites emerged, Facebook and Twitter were called out for their lack of responsibility on not weeding out the fake news, and others began to explore options to prevent the ability to use social media to spread such news.
Ad agency, DigitasLBi decided to address the issue of fake news. For their holiday card, they created http://happynewsyear.digitaslbi.com/# to wish everyone a “happy non-fake news year 2017.”
“No matter which way you spin it, 2016 has been a newsworthy year—especially when it comes to fake news. As we turn to 2017, DigitasLBi is celebrating real news by empowering the next generation of women journalists,” Steve Baker, VP, Director of Creative, told DIVERGE.
The site lets visitors take a mini quiz in which you look at 3 fake stories and 1 real story and asks you to decide the one true story in each group.
For each person that plays, the agency will make a donation (up to $5,000 total) to Girls Write Now®, a nationally recognized organization that trains the next generation of powerful women in media and journalism, Baker explained.
Project credits:
Doug Schiff, EVP/Executive Creative Director
Steve Baker, VP, Director of Creative
Graham Shepherd, ACD / Copywriter
Mike McGuinness, Copywriter
Grace Abe, Associate Art Director
Michael Halunen, Software Engineer
Jay Werra, Creative Engineer
Kate Connors, VP/Group Director, Creative
Jessica Manning, Senior Art Producer
Andrea Arricale, Associate Director, Marketing
Lea Westort. VP, Group Director, Integrated Production
