Twitter and FB are amazing tools for spreading ideas (Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Rebecca Black's "Friday", etc.) but they have also resulted in a shameful

Twitter and FB are amazing tools for spreading ideas (Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Rebecca Black's "Friday", etc.) but they have also resulted in a shameful lack of fact-checking and an inexcusable free-fall in journalistic reporting standards that seems to have no end in sight. What will it take to bring reporting standards back up to anywhere near their pre-social media levels? For example, why can't the FCC start handing out massive fines ($x million) to news agencies that report false or inaccurate information? Of course that's not scalable but hopefully it could act as a deterrent and make people think twice before they post something. If the FCC can fine CBS $550,000 for allowing Janet Jackson's nipple to be exposed on national TV, you'd think they could do the same when major news companies' rushed reporting ends up ruining people's lives. People's lives are being destroyed time and again by well-intentioned but misguided individuals and companies disseminating false information. Is there really nothing that can be done?