The founders were wise enough that they made freedom of the press first among equals, as a constitutional guarantee. They also even understood fake news in the form of the pamphleteers of the day. But they never could have imagined bots and trolls and social media, as a way for that fake news to be disseminated at light speed. We’ve seen how lies beak from the gate quickly, and the truth can seldom seem to catch up.
For those that aren’t monitoring the news 24/7, and for the vast majority of the country that has neither the time nor resources to fact check every story, or each new online site, how are we to determine, as Stephen Colbert would say, the truthiness of stories.
We’ve seen lately that algorithms alone simply don’t work. So how can the human element be brought in, in a way that is informative and yet not intrusive? In a process that allows for advocacy, opinion and human bias, but still respects facts, expertise and professionalism? The answer might be Newsguard.
Steven Brill is the founder of American Lawyer, Court TV, Brill's Content and the Yale Journalism initiative. He’s recently confounded NewsGuard.
My conversation with Steven Brill:
With Each New Year, Do We Loose A Little of What Makes Us Human?
The Business of Punishment
Is it Possible to Believe in Nationalism and Think Globally at the Same Time?
What Might Gonzo Journalism Look Like Today? A Look At Hunter S. Thompson vs. Nixon
Bribery, Kickbacks and Corruption: Why It Matters
Democracies Are Not Forever...Are We Headed Down the Same Path As Rome?
The Week Politics Went Tabloid: A Conversation with Matt Bai about Gary Hart and THE FRONT RUNNER
California is Burning - Here's Why
Jamal Khashoggi's Secret Interview
Why Capitalism Matters and Why We Need to Protect It
History in Plain Sight: WWI and the Unknown Soldiers
Notes On Hope from Anne Lamott
Greg Sargent looks at Thunderdome Politics in the Age of Trump
The Forgotten and The Angry: A Search for the Trump Voter
Reagan Would Be Such An Improvement Today
Democracy, Rebellion and Revolution: Pick Two
Men on the Sidelines of American Life
When They Take Away Your Vote, Who Ya Gonna Call?
The Last Time "Nationalism" Was Embraced...Hitler and his American Friends
Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy
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