What threats do fake news pose to the public?

It can make people believe something that is not true and can start panic in some ways

We've now begun the second presidential campaign of the "fake news" era. Fake news - intentionally misleading misinformation dressed up like legitimate news - has probably become a permanent feature of our politics. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats recently warned that America's adversaries will "almost certainly" use online influence operations to try to weaken our democratic institutions.