SOCIAL media sites have been under growing pressure to crack down on misinformation and fake news in recent months but they have been dreadfully slow to react.

The false reports which circulated in the wake of the Manchester terror attack showed yet again that Facebook, Twitter, and the like have created an environment in which hoaxers can operate almost unchecked. Worryingly, some of their fake information spilled over into the print media.

Images and posts widely shared across Twitter after Monday night’s incident included false photos and claims that terrorists had posted online warnings in the hours leading up to the attack. A Facebook message falsely claiming that a man with a gun was outside a hospital in Oldham became the basis of stories published by the Daily Star and Daily Express.

Those papers also printed pictures of sisters from Darlington in stories about people reported missing from the concert, which an investigation by the Echo later found to be fake.

The Daily Star and the Express were trying to perform a public service but fell victim to yet another online scam.

The pace of a rapidly changing story means there is a risk that media outlets are too keen to publish breaking news and less rigorous about checking facts.

Reporters, editors and readers need to be on their guard and able to recognise fabrication from the truth.

It is clear that many social media sites are unwilling or unable to properly police their content and reluctant to accept that they have a responsibility to their audience.

Newspapers must work to higher standards because the need for credible and reliable journalism has never been greater.