The widespread consumption of fake news is a hot topic (if today’s headlines are to be believed). Google and Facebook are both facing increased pressure to do something about the distribution of fictional news stories. And, at least when it comes to advertising dollars, they are starting to take some steps. From the NYT: Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites. (America’s institutions have been hammered so hard, these moves might just lead people to no longer trust Google and Facebook.) We should stem the distribution of ridiculous fake news. But ultimately, we’re gonna have to deal with the people who believe it.

+ “Fake news ran wild on our platform during the entire campaign season.” From Buzzfeed: Renegade Facebook employees form task force to battle fake news.

+ Twitter is rolling out some new anti-harassment tools. (They should just replace the Tweet button with a Mute button.)

+ ProPublica: News organizations see a bump in subscriptions and donations.

+ Asha Dornfest: This is what happens when you stop paying for quality journalism.