What makes malinformation so effective is that most people are passive consumers of news media, so they'll pay attention more to the urgency with which news items show up on their feeds. They might not have media practices that allow them to quickly slot this flood of outrage into the bigger picture.
This makes people easy prey for the loudest actors.
A good defence starts with making whatever news you do consume *conscientious*.
Do not confuse vehemence on social media with proper reporting.