Can You Spot Fake News? Don’t Be So Sure.

One of the enduring mysteries of the fake-news epidemic is why it’s happening now, when it’s easier than ever for readers to fact-check stories with a few quick keystrokes. A Google search and a little common sense should be enough to cast doubt on stories that the Clintons are running a child sex ring from a pizza parlor, that Sharia law has been instituted in Florida or that CNN accidentally aired 30 minutes of pornography.

And yet, fake news was rampant in 2016. No, busloads of paid protesters didn’t descend on Texas in November, but more than 350,000 people shared ‘news’ that they did. Made-up stories outperformed the real stuff on Facebook, with dozens of dubious websites springing up to meet the demand. Pakistan’s defense minister fell for fake news. So did America’s next national security adviser. No wonder PolitiFact named fake news its “Lie of the Year.”