“Fake News” swiftly made its way into the heart of the American lexicon. Collins Dictionary and the American Dialect Society both dubbed President Trump’s favorite accusation the word of the year in 2017. But it is much more than a silly term to shout at opponents on Twitter. There are active chains of disinformation that masquerade as news that must be regarded with all seriousness.

In late April, I came across the intrepid headline “BREAKING: OPCW finds NO Chemical Weapons at Damascus research center,” a claim peddled by a website named the Duran that had quickly gained momentum on Facebook.