The article discusses the growing trend of governments legislating against fake news due to its rapid and widespread impact despite the challenges of balancing such laws with free speech protections. It highlights various approaches by different countries, such as France and Germany, to regulate online content and impose penalties while noting experts’ concerns that such measures might be ineffective or counterproductive. The article also mentions civil society efforts like fact-checking and the Journalism Trust Initiative as alternative approaches to addressing the spread of misinformation.