When truth is the first casualty of politics and journalism

Donald Trump’s conduct throughout his campaign for President of the United States has brought into renewed focus a question made famous by Pontius Pilate: what is truth? Trump has exploited the 24/7 symbiotic news cyclone in which social media and the professional journalism of traditional media are both caught up. He first creates social media excitement with an outrageous lie, then watches as traditional media, scrambling for “hits” and “eyeballs”, amplify those lies without first troubling with time-consuming verification. This is an ethical crisis for the media, but it also a crisis for democracy. Read the full article on The Conversation