Is viral fake news really a threat to democracy?

It's hard enough to figure out what's true and what's not from the mainstream news media and the declarations of politicians. Now there's an uproar about "fake news," blamed for ethnic violence in Myanmar — and which might have influenced America's presidential election.

Image by C_osett

During the presidential campaign millions of online users circulated the story that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump. At least one member of the US Senate tweeted that protesters against Donald Trump had been paid. Neither story was true. And they're classic examples of what mainstream news people call "fake news."