Staging the Lie: The Impact of Framing and Content on the Visibility of Fake Business News

What drives the visibility of fake business news? We investigate this timely question by analyzing the framing and content of fake news targeting Fortune 500 companies. Our research reveals that fake business news employing episodic frames—characterized by highly dramatized and unambiguous information—gains more visibility than thematic frames, regardless of an organization’s reputation, its web or media visibility. Additionally, we find that fake news about corporate governance is particularly visible because it presents a detailed narrative about unmet organizational obligations, reducing the ambiguity of the message. In contrast, fake news about corporate social responsibility does not show this effect. These insights enrich existing literature by demonstrating that the visibility of fake news in social media depends not only on emotional dramatization but also on detailed portrayal. In the business context, fake news is an emotionally and cognitively driven phenomenon depending on stylistic and content frames to enhance its visibility.