EU tasks experts to find ways to fight fake news

The European Union has set up an expert group to help identify fake news and propose ways to tackle the problem amid concern that false information is influencing elections.

The team of 39 experts, which held its first meeting Monday, is tasked with establishing how big the problem is, who should combat fake news and how.

The European commissioner responsible for digital affairs, Mariya Gabriel, says that "fake news is spreading at a worrying rate. It threatens the reputation of the media and the well-being of our democracies."

The meeting comes just after French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a law to stop false information being spread around electoral campaigns.

The team of experts, journalists and academics will submit its recommendations to the European Commission before the end of April.