A top Channel 4 executive has warned that fake news could affect the next UK election, and urged the UK government to step in if Facebook and other internet firms do not do more to tackle the problem.

Dan Brooke, the broadcaster’s chief marketing and communications officer, and board member, said the worry was that web firms would “fiddle with fake news while democracy burns”.

Barack Obama has said false information on the web could affect American politics, and some have suggested fake news stories, such as claims that an FBI employee investigating Hilary Clinton’s emails killed himself, had an impact on the US election.

Brooke suggested the problem could become equally serious in the UK, and companies such as Google and Facebook were trying to avoid taking responsibility.

“Fake news does not seem to be quite so rife in the UK, yet the US is often the canary in the coalmine,” he told the Westminster Media forum on Tuesday. “We have more than three years before our next general election, so let’s act now to ensure the same doesn’t happen here.”

“Something must be done. So I’ll say to social media players today: with your power comes responsibility. Much … greater … responsibility than you have yet shown. They claim they are technology companies … not media companies … and therefore that the regulation of content is not their responsibility.”

“But, I’m afraid this just isn’t good enough. There is too much at stake.”

Earlier this month, a gunman with an assault rifle fired shots in a pizza restaurant that was the target of fake news reports that it was operating a child abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton and her top campaign aide. Numerous other false stories – mainly favouring Donald Trump – were shared widely and believed during the election. A recent survey by BuzzFeed found that 75% of US adults believed fake news headlines they were shown.

Google and Facebook have said they are working on ways to eliminate fake news or stop it spreading, and have already taken steps such as cutting off ad revenue to some sites identified as sources of completely made up stories. However, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly rejected the “crazy idea” that they affected the US election.



Brooke said if the companies did not do more they should be made subject to regulation by the government, which has said it is looking into fake news. Channel 4 and other UK broadcasters are required by law to follow rules on accuracy and impartiality.

Brooke said: “We think there is a strong case for policymakers to bring together the leading players in this debate to help think through solutions and to stand ready to intervene if self-regulation is found wanting.”

“Regulating the internet is, of course, extraordinarily difficult. But tougher regulation will be the only way if voluntary solutions prove inadequate.”

Brooke also highlighted Facebook’s recent revelations that it has not been giving advertisers and publishers accurate information about how their content performs on the network as an example of the company’s lack of transparency.

However, he said the potential impact of its failure to deal with the problem went far further. “In short, the worry is that social media is fiddling with fake news while democracy burns.”