American journalists should guard democracy amid election lies and audiences that dismiss facts as bias. But when clickbait generates revenue and politicians are undeterred by the press, how can news media catch up with a changing political landscape? Three...
Posts By Jeremy Lovelett
World Economic Forum: ‘Crazed Lies’ Polluting Internet as Leaders Shrug
Rampant disinformation is stifling progress toward an informed public and functioning democracy. But a concerning shortage of world leaders is moving to address the crisis. At the first full day of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January,...
Twitter’s Hate and Disinformation Spike Demands Regulation
Online content regulation may be necessary to safeguard democracy and the quality of information people consume amid harmful falsehoods and outright violence. Elon Musk’s October 27 acquisition of Twitter, which entailed massive layoffs for key staff, led to a...
How Native Advertising Misleads Readers and Damages Credibility
In 2019, the Massachusetts Attorney General sued Exxon Mobil for deceiving state residents about the company’s contributions to climate change. One of the lawsuit's exhibits featured a New York Times-published piece of “native advertising,” paid content disguised as a...
Journalists Say Better Media Funding Can Contest Rightwing ‘Quagmire of Lies’
A major factor to success during political elections stems from coverage on news and social media, which is why comprehensive election reporting is essential to healthy democracy. Though Democrats gained unexpected victories during the midterms, according to media...
The New York Times Forgot it Peddled a ‘Red Wave’ that Never Came
Ahead of the midterm elections, exhaustive mainstream coverage from outlets including the New York Times cited polls and predictions claiming a “red wave” would beat out Democrats for control of key states and seats. Instead, Democrats came away with several wins,...
Media Weigh Democracy Against Ratings on Jan. 6 Hearings
On January 6, 2020, a mob of supporters to then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol during the certification of Joe Biden’s presidency. Violence ensued throughout the Capitol and the following months saw a continuous effort from Donald Trump and his...
‘Balanced’ Coverage Hides Context for Shireen Abu Akleh’s Killing
On May 11, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera reporter who covered Palestine for two decades, was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Even as evidence mounted that...
NRA Convention Went on ‘As Planned’ after Uvalde Shooting
The National Rifle Association held its annual conference in Houston on Friday, just three days after and 300 miles away from the May 24 mass shooting of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Former President Donald Trump spoke at...
Breaking the ‘Shock and Familiarity’ of Mass Shootings
On May 24, a shooter in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two adults, just 10 days after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10 people and injured three others.