Read news over Twitter, FB? Only 24% feel social media can catch fake news

A Reuters report also found that WhatsApp had become a force to reckon with in news media

Fake news, the new threat in the information age, is not solely a product of the internet or social media, though they have "exacerbated" the problem, the Digital News Report 2017 by the Reuters Institute said. 

Instead, the report said that in many countries it was good old-fashioned political polarisation and a perception among people that the mainstream media is biased that has "as much to do" with the prevalent mistrust. 

However, by no means does this let social media off the hook. Only close to a quarter, 24 per cent to be exact, of the respondents