Fake news is big business - and may have handed Trump the election

Fake news doesn’t just spread among the gullible

Did Donald Trump win the US election on fake news? Pic: Getty

In May, a website called Winning Democrats published an article claiming that the island of Inishturk would accept American refugees if Donald Trump won the US presidential election. During the election, an online outlet claimed Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump, and another reported Hillary Clinton’s impending indictment over her use of a private email server.

Then there are fake-fact memes, including a few bizarre ones condemning social welfare recipients, attributed to people ...