John Oliver Slams Facebook News Feed's 'Cesspool of Nonsense' During Election (Video)

John Oliver blamed Donald Trump’s election on the media, including the fake news Americans routinely share on Facebook.

“Fake facts circulate on social media to a frightening extent,” the “Last Week Tonight” host said Sunday.

“There is now a whole cottage industry specializing in hyper-partisan, sometimes wildly distorted click bait,” Oliver said after explaining a fake story about the Pope endorsing Trump was shared almost a million times, “which is absurd.”

Also Read: Megyn Kelly Says Donald Trump Acted 'Bizarre' for Someone After 'Nuclear Codes' in New Book

Fake news stories are published for voters are both sides of the aisle, but a study reveals that the problem is more prominent among right-leaning websites.

“The sites can warp your views pretty fast,” Oliver said. “This cesspool of nonsense would be a problem anyway, were if not for the fact that one of the people in thrall to it is our future president.”

Trump used Twitter to share a video linking a man who rushed the stage at one of his rallies to ISIS, but the video was proven to be a hoax. When NBC News’ Chuck Todd confronted Trump about spreading false information, the president-elect said, “What do I know about it? All I know is what’s on the Internet.”

“Being on the Internet is not a high bar for accuracy,” Oliver said. “During the campaign, Trump routinely used his platform to spread wildly incorrect information, and even fellow conservatives tried to point out how irresponsible this was.”

Also Read: Emmy Rossum Slams 'Disgusting' Trump Supporter Tweets: 'THIS Is Not OK'

The HBO host also said that some news organizations waited way too long to take Trump seriously, pointing to CNN running his speeches in their entirety as an example. Oliver also played video of CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker admitting the cable news network got carried away.

“It turns out hindsight, much like the year we’re all now desperately looking forward to, is 2020,” Oliver said.

Watch the video above.

14 Stars Who Vowed to Leave America If Donald Trump Wins Election (Photos)

It's not uncommon for people to joke/threaten about leaving the U.S. if the "wrong" person becomes president. But Donald Trump has Hollywood in such a froth that loads of celebrities are now talking about pulling up stakes. Here's a small collection of them, ranging from silly jokes to serious plans.
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Lena Dunham has been one of the most active celebrity Clinton supporters out there, but she says she'll move to Canada if Trump wins: "I know a lovely place in Vancouver, and I can get my work done from there."
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While promoting "The Hateful Eight," Samuel L. Jackson told Jimmy Kimmel that in the wake of a Trump victory he would "move my black ass to South Africa."
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Trump's Super Tuesday victory in the primaries left Miley Cyrus distraught. She hasn't said where she'll go, but promised on Instagram that "I am moving if this is my president! I don't say things I don't mean!"
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Cher has a history of feuding with Trump even before he announced his candidacy and has been often asked about what she thinks about his attempts to become President. Cher tweeted that if he wins she will "move to Jupiter."
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If Cher does get a SpaceX flight to another planet, she might have Jon Stewart as her window-seat buddy, as he joked to People Magazine that he “would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planet’s gone bonkers.”
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Even before Trump officially got nominated, she promised on The View that she would leave for Canada if any Republican got elected: "I literally bought my ticket, I swear."
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Natasha Lyonne might not leave the country, but when asked by Starz where she might go, she said she might check herself into a mental hospital.
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George Lopez told TMZ that he would move south of the border if Trump won, and that other Latinos would come with him: "If he wins, he won't have to worry about immigration; we'll all go back."
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Al Sharpton said in February that he had "reserved his ticket" to leave if Trump won and that he would support anyone necessary to beat him.
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"House of Cards" star Neve Campbell is a natural-born Canadian citizen, so for her moving to another country is easy, and she's said she's ready to do it.
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Chelsea Handler told Kelly Ripa on "Live!" that her plans to move aren't just words. She has already bought a house in Spain and is ready to go if necessary.

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Barbra Streisand has been hitting the campaign trail hard for Hillary, but she too is ready to abandon ship if her campaign fails. She said she would decide between moving to Australia and Canada if Trump takes office.
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In the final days of the campaign, Bryan Cranston added his name to the exodus list: "I would definitely move. ... It's not real to me that that would happen. I hope to God it won't."
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But some threats to leave America are a bit more tongue-in-cheek. Take Spike Lee, who vowed to respond to a Trump victory by "moving back to the republic of Brooklyn."
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Bryan Cranston, Miley Cyrus and others may be headed overseas if they don’t get their way on Election Day

It's not uncommon for people to joke/threaten about leaving the U.S. if the "wrong" person becomes president. But Donald Trump has Hollywood in such a froth that loads of celebrities are now talking about pulling up stakes. Here's a small collection of them, ranging from silly jokes to serious plans.

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14 Stars Who Vowed to Leave America If Donald Trump Wins Election (Photos)

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