There once was a time when fake news was relegated to the checkout line tabaloids. Headlines such as "Elvis back from the dead with amazing new UFO sex diet"*, told you that what you were about to read, was fake. Everbody knew it, yet those over-priced newspapers sold (and still do).
Fake news is like a Peanut Buster Parfait to a diabetic. The smell of a cigarette to someone struggling to quit. A Crispy Creme to a person on a diet.
Fake news fans the flames of polarization. I.e. Fake News couldn't survive if we didn't have a desire for it. If we dislike Trump, we're vunerable to Fake News. If we dislike Hillary we're vulnerable to Fake News. If we're struggling with our weight we're vunerable to diet gimmicks.
So how does a person protect themselves from fake news today? The answer lies in maturity, balance, and biology. Maturity in recognizing our biases and knowing that there are always many sides to a story. Balance by seeking out multiple sources - not just those that fit our bias. Biology in understanding that our minds abhor a vacuum, and our brain will catalog away a lie just as easily the truth to fill the void (doubt it? Ask people what Sara Palin said about seeing Russia and see if they don't repeat Tina Fey's lines from SNL).
The media has largely abdicated their fiduciary responsibility to the public. Whether this new form of journalism is a protected by the 1st amendment is subject to debate as you could make the argument that it is akin to yelling "FIRE!" in a theater or "ALLAH AKBAR!" aboard a plane. But my point here is that thinking people don't explicitly trust the media.
* Dave Barry, Miami Herald.
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