Summary
The rise of fake news has been a hot topic in Britain this year, with the lawmaker leading a probe into the phenomenon warning it was "a threat to democracy".
Damian Collins, head of the parliamentary probe, told AFP that fake news undermined trust in the media in general, with the explosion of social media making political issues particularly sensitive.
The panel is considering whether fake news spreaders could be blocked or closed down, or genuine news outlets given a special verification mark.
BBC television's "Newsround," a news bulletin for children, explained fake news to youngsters in February.
The former BBC and Reuters journalist said three main factors seem to create the conditions for a fake news surge.
A fake news producer explained that, as demonstrated by the Express report, the key to getting stories to go viral was to appeal to people's emotion.
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