When Journalists Perpetuate Fake News

Guest: W. Joseph Campbell, PhD, Professor, School of Communication, American University; author of “Getting it Wrong: Debunking the Greatest Myths in American Journalism” President Trump's habit of crying “fake news” over any story he doesn’t agree with is frustrating and alarming to members of the press: Just because you don't like a story doesn't mean it's untrue. Playing fast and loose with “fake news” claims could undermine public trust in the media, which has an important role in bringing truth to light and holding powerful people accountable.  So, we in the media have been on a bit of a high horse about this lately. But American University journalism historian W. Joseph Campbell’s knocking us down a peg. His book, “Getting it Wrong” details cases throughout history in which “the media themselves have often been the purveyors of bogus stories.”