As the Syrian Army completes the liberation of Aleppo from Al-Qaeda-led terrorist groups, you would think that there would be universal celebration of a landmark defeat of international terrorism. Not so, as we are assailed with reports of Syrian-led forces committing cold-blooded executions, women committing suicide, fearing they will be raped by Syrian soldiers, people burned alive, and reports of rape against the civilian population.

The above are all unverified allegations at this stage. They are coming from the opposition militant groups themselves, groups firmly aligned with the opposition and a whole array of “activists” posting on Twitter and Facebook, some of whom are finding themselves becoming instant mainstream media hits.

The most disturbing aspect is that the mainstream media are reporting unverified allegations as fact. This is the definition of fake news.