It’s more prevalent than ever.
It spread like wildfire through social networks that share worldviews. Once it finds a worldview conducive to its expansion, like a virus, it propagates quickly.
The consequence is that we consume news that confirms our fears and justifies our perspectives on life. Our need for justification over truth compromises our perspective even more and exposes our network to the same group thinking.
Fortunately, the fix is simple. Check the source.
If news is worth sharing, it’s worth verifying. If it’s important enough, you will ensure it’s accuracy. If you do, fake news dies instantly.
Its pervasiveness is not an indication of the morality of the generator. It’s an indication of the discipline of the propagator.