1. With each rewriting of the story, subtly change the words to create new meaning
2. Use headlines that exaggerate the actual story = clickbait. The worst use a different headline in social than the actual article has.

Today Freedom’s Phoenix relayed a story from Natural News that is 6 months old and very different to reality.

The article starts with:

California orders pastors to push LGBT activism… or else – transgender tyranny to become the rule of law
The Golden State has decided to scrap the First Amendment with the passage of a new resolution that forbids religious leaders from opposing homosexuality from the pulpit.
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/274293-2020-01-03-calif-orders-pastors-to-push-lgbt-activism-or-else-transgender.htm?From=News

Pretty powerful words, and not one part of the headline or first paragraph is true.

What has actually happened is that the Californian Legislature has politely asked churches to not promote conversion therapy. This is a request, not a law. And churches can continue to oppose homosexuality if they wish.

This measure would call upon all Californians to embrace the individual and social benefits of family and community acceptance, upon religious leaders to counsel on LGBTQ matters from a place of love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms of conversion therapy, and upon the people of California and the institutions of California with great moral influence to model equitable treatment of all people of the state.
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200ACR99

Clues to Fake News:

• Not the original source
• On sites like Natural News that have a biased agenda
• No links to the source, if not a reputable news agency
• Sounds like something the MSM would have told you, if it was true
• Has a conspiracy angle – 99.9% of conspiracy theories are misguided or made up