Hillary Clinton thinks fake news is “a danger that must be addressed” because “lives are at risk.”
Clinton said during her speech at an event for Harry Reid on Thursday that the spread of “false propaganda” impacts both Democrats and Republicans.
“It’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences. This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk,” Clinton said.
“It’s a danger that must be addressed, and addressed quickly. Bipartisan legislation is making its way through Congress to boost the government’s response to foreign propaganda, and Silicon Valley is starting to grapple with the challenge and threat of fake news,” Clinton said. “It’s imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up.”
Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined his plan to fight fake news being spread on Facebook. Zuckerberg initially downplayed the criticisms that fake news being spread on his social media site could have contributed significantly to swaying the 2016 presidential election, but later made concessions to the contrary.
Made-up news has been such a problem across the media landscape that Media Matters, a liberal media-watchdog organization known for its fixation on Fox News, recently announced that fake news will now be its prime target.
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