In most places, fraud laws only cover some instances of the broader concept of fraud. For example, if I get people to buy tickets to a fictitious concert and th

In most places, fraud laws only cover some instances of the broader concept of fraud. For example, if I get people to buy tickets to a fictitious concert and then run off with the money, that's legally fraud. But if convince you to drive up to Portland for a concert that doesn't exist just to waste your time, that's not legally fraud because I didn't directly profit from the deception. Similarly with fake news, people are not being defrauded out of their money, but the deed itself is no less fraudulent.