Fake News. It’s a phrase that in the last six months has been thrown around by media outlets and world leaders with casual aplomb, so much so, it is now in the global lexicon.
In the run-up to the US presidential election, it reached dizzying new heights, as hoaxers took advantage of Donald Trump’s fondness for airing his views on social media. Many fake reports were published about him and his presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. As a result, fake news sites often outperformed more established and...