Fake news is a 'dangerous epidemic'

Hillary Clinton issued a stern warning Thursday against the proliferation of fake news, branding it an epidemic with "real world consequences" that must be addressed in order to protect the nation's democracy.

The Democrat Clinton lost last month's presidential election to Republican Donald Trump in a shock upset, with several Trump critics arguing that the prominence of fake articles shared on Facebook and other social media may have affected the outcome.

"It's now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences," Clinton told current and former US lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

"This isn't about politics, or partisanship. Lives are at risk," she said as she blasted "the epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year."

The "danger" must be addressed quickly, she stressed. "It's imperative that leaders from the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives."

"This is not exactly the speech to the Capitol I hoped to be giving after the election," she quipped to an audience. "But after a few weeks of taking selfies in the woods, I thought it would be a good idea to come out."

Afterward Clinton ignored reporters' questions about whether fake news stories had cost her the election.