The difference is between presenting your ideas as "facts" - or making it clear that they are theories, ideally with reasons given why you think they are worth considering.
This exchange belonged to the latter category.
More generally, the term "fake news" is thrown around far too often for my tastes. If I remember correctly, the origin was a scandal about eastern european scammers writing deliberately doctored news to create controversy and cash-in on ad revenue.
Nowadays, this term seems to be used by anyone to describe any kind of rumors or guesswork (or occasionally well-researched journalism) that doesn't fit their particular view.
Right, but in some peoples' opinions, the moon landing being a conspiracy is reasonable. That doesn't mean we should discuss it like it's true on this website.
The difference is between presenting your ideas as "facts" - or making it clear that they are theories, ideally with reasons given why you think they are worth considering.
This exchange belonged to the latter category.
More generally, the term "fake news" is thrown around far too often for my tastes. If I remember correctly, the origin was a scandal about eastern european scammers writing deliberately doctored news to create controversy and cash-in on ad revenue.
Nowadays, this term seems to be used by anyone to describe any kind of rumors or guesswork (or occasionally well-researched journalism) that doesn't fit their particular view.