Hillary Clinton Warns About Hoax News On Social Media
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- Thousands of fabricated stories were shared millions of times on social media this election season. Now, Hillary Clinton is sounding off about fake news.
Facebook and Twitter are the new frontier for hoax news -- often shared thousands of times, with no fact-checking -- and it can have serious consequences.
Secretary Hillary Clinton is speaking out against hoax headlines.
"It's a danger that must be addressed -- and addressed quickly," she said.
Clinton's outrage comes just days after a man opened fire in a Washington, D.C. pizza shop. Police say the suspect was inspired by a fabricated story about Clinton and a child sex trafficking ring.
"This isn't about politics or partisanship... Lives are at risk," Clinton said.
Thousands of made-up, fact-less stories are shared countless times on social media. The popularity and absurdity of hoax headlines increased during election season.
Facebook has been cracking down, blocking users from posting links deemed unsafe.
"It's absolutely social media borne," said Dr. Elliot King, a journalism professor at Loyola University.
Dr. King tells WJZ social media has given fake news sources an unprecedented fight against fiction.
"This is a very, very scary thing. Because not only is it that the top 20 fake news stories are performing better, people believe them," he said.
On Friday, Secretary Clinton also cited new legislation to counter foreign propaganda and prevent misinformation from other countries.
Both Facebook and Google have banned fake news sources from advertising on their sites.
