BuzzFeed analyzed news and "news" shared on Facebook to come up with the biggest fake news stories of the year—the 100% fake articles (from fake-news websites) that got the most shares, reactions, and comments. (Articles that simply misrepresented the news were not included as fake.) Of the top 50 fake news articles, 23 were politics-related. The second-biggest fake news category: crime. The top five fake politics and crime stories and how many Facebook reactions, comments, and shares they got:
- "Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools Nationwide": 2,177,000
- "Women Arrested for Defecating on Boss' Desk After Winning the Lottery": 1,765,000