Journalism professor reflects on ‘fake news’

“Fake news” may be a phrase used frequently by current President Donald Trump, but he did not coin the term.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the nation was “inundated by news” created by publishers who would write anything to boost circulation. William Randolph Hearst, depicted as “the Wizard of Ooze” in a Harper’s Weekly cartoon, and competitor Joseph Pulitzer “fought for eyeballs” and would publish outrageous assertions to attract readers.

That information was shared by University of Montana journalism professor Dennis Swibold during a presentation on “What Happened to the News?” June 7 at the Boulder Community Library.