Hillary Clinton: Fake News Is Now Putting Lives at Risk

She calls it an epidemic
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2016 7:36 AM CST
Hillary Clinton: Fake News Is Now Putting Lives at Risk
Hillary Clinton in Washington on Nov. 16, 2016.   (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

The spread of fake news over the last year is an "epidemic" and "ordinary lives are at risk," says Hillary Clinton. Speaking Thursday at a ceremony honoring retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Clinton joked about her recent reclusiveness and fondness for "taking selfies in the woods" before turning to a more serious subject. "It's now clear that so-called fake news can have real-world consequences," Clinton said, per NPR, apparently referring to a man accused of firing shots at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, DC. He did so after reading false reports that Clinton runs a child sex ring out of the pizzeria.

In the runup to the election, fake anti-Clinton stories proliferated on social media, but "this isn't about politics or partisanship," she said. Clinton backed legislation "making its way through Congress to boost the government's response to foreign propaganda," a reference to allegations that Russia has orchestrated much of the fake reports. She also praised Silicon Valley for beginning to take the issue seriously, adding that "it's imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up." (More Hillary Clinton stories.)

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