Kara Alaimo, Columnist

When the Fake News Is About Your Company

In a world where lies can go viral in minutes, business reputation matters more than ever.

Refreshing and entirely parasite-free.

Photographer: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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Fake news on social media stymied the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. Now, businesses are wondering what they should do if they’re targeted next.

For some, it’s too late. Pepsi’s chief executive never told Trump supporters to “take their business elsewhere,” but websites still falsely claimed she did. Coca-Cola had to deal with bogus reports that a “clear parasite” in Dasani bottled water had sent hundreds to the hospital. And in December, a 28-year-old man drove six hours to a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor and fired a rifle after reading fake news claiming that Hillary Clinton was leading a child sex slavery operation there.