News outlets address fake news

News outlets are seeking permission from the US Congress for the right to negotiate jointly with Google and Facebook who dominate online advertising and online news traffic. A report on the Fin24 site notes that the News Media Alliance, which represents nearly 2 000 news organisations, said the two companies' dominance has forced news organisations to ‘play by their rules on how news and information is displayed, prioritised and monetised’. ‘These rules have commoditised the news and given rise to fake news, which often cannot be differentiated from real news,’ the alliance said in a press release on Monday. It won't be easy getting a congressional antitrust exemption to negotiate as a group. The news industry has been hit with declining print readership and a loss of advertising revenue as it has moved online.