Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats called on media outlets to "step up" and combat efforts by foreign adversaries to spread propaganda in news reports.

Speaking at a cybersecurity event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Coats said the federal government can't have all the "responsibility" for protecting Americans and that the private sector needs to help.

"Responsibility doesn't stop with the federal government. We also need the private sector and media outlets to step up and take greater responsibility, because this is a national interest that demands a response from both the federal government and from the private sector," Coats said.

The Internet has become a major issue when it comes to the spread of misinformation. Investigations into foreign meddling in the 2016 election found evidence that Russians staged an influence effort for years with bots pushing misinformation and ads bought on social media.

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At the another event in D.C. on Thursday, a top Homeland Security Department official said his staff is "working around the clock" to prepare for America's enemies launching cyberattacks during the home stretch of the midterm elections. DHS Undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate Christopher Krebs warned that 2018 for hackers was just the "warm-up" for the "big game" in 2020 when President Trump will be running to be re-elected to the White House for a second term.