Fake news shot down on social media

Recent years have seen a lot of talk about fake news on social media. This is justified. Although fake news has been around since before the birth of the internet (one of the most widespread fabrications being Henry Kissinger's supposed statement that he wanted to attack Hellenism by destroying Greece's language and culture), digital technology made fake news more accessible, to more people, and faster. In other words, fake news is not a product of the internet, but it has certainly been strengthened by the World Wide Web.

There are many fools and/or evil people in this world, which explains the mass production of fake news. However, we are still far from seeing a reverse trend, i.e. a war on fake news. A recent example is the controversy surrounding reported plans by the conservative government to grant a child benefit to women under 30. 
The news triggered attacks,...