What exactly does "Based On..." mean? Is there a cynical attempt to pass of non-research as fact and do we notice anymore?

Links: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-jobs-biopic-20151011-story.htmlColumbus Journal: https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111columbus.htmlJobs Widow Article: https://fortune.com/2015/10/11/apple-jobs-laurene-movie/The Martian, a True Story? https://time.com/4066689/the-martian-tweets-true-story/