Recipient Exposure to Fake News on Kurdish Websites and Their Reaction to

Abstract

This study titled (Recipient Exposure to Fake News on Kurdish Websites and Their Reaction to It), this study employs survey research, the main objective of the study is to examine the extent of recipients' exposure to fake news on Kurdish websites and to analyze their reactions to it, as well as to identify the types of fake news encountered, a survey questionnaire was used as the primary tool for data collection. The research population and sample consists of university lecturers and individuals with advanced degrees in media studies, the sample comprises 100 participants, all of whom are media department lecturers or holders of higher degrees in media, the key findings of the study reveal that the sample perceives a significant amount of fake news on Kurdish websites, they attribute this to an effort to increase website traffic through views and likes, as well as to divert the audience's attention away from critical current events. Among the types of fake news, the inconsistency between headlines and article content is particularly noted. The study also finds that fake news tends to spike during political crises and election campaigns. Participants expressed concern that fake news leads to confusion and instability, causing them to lose trust in these websites, the researchers also provide several recommendations.