Sublime

a twist reminiscent of Nixon conspiring against the imaginary enemies he feared—taken to generating what they themselves have scornfully termed “fake news.” The Trump administration launched its own weekly news service on social media in 2017, dedicated entirely to positive coverage of the president. The same year, the Associated Press discovered

Who in the public sphere is stoking your fears and pushing these messages that fill your TV sets and social media feeds? Who is telling you to be angry? Which politician is tossing you the red meat that tells you that it’s okay to hate or even harm others whom they are casting as rivals?

McCarthy, though, was something new in modern political life: a freelance performer who grasped what many ordinary Americans feared and who had direct access to the media of the day. He exploited the privileges of power and prominence without regard to its responsibilities; to him politics was not about the substantive but the sensational. The

The news coverage given to Brock’s fake news focus provides fresh evidence of how he’s truly set himself apart in the smear industry. As a political operative, he seems able to pick up the phone or send an email and get his message covered in outlets ranging from Politico to the New York Times. There are no other liberals or conservative