Manipulating the Message

Shrinking newsrooms and an explosion in the ranks of spin doctors mean journalists are routinely being duped. Reporters often act as megaphones when they repeat a misleading press release or deceptive poll. Veteran investigative journalist Cecil Rosner exposes the problem and shows how we can do something about it.

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Journalists hate the term fake news, but there’s a troubling reality: spin doctors routinely try to dupe them into reporting misleading and distorted stories.

Check the news on any given day and here’s what you’ll find: Governments routinely lie. Companies tout products and practices that put lives at risk. Think tanks release studies with misleading data meant to deceive. Police departments, infected by systemic racism, downplay crimes against Indigenous and racialized people.

The public depends on the media to help them understand the world, but are journalists catching all the daily lies, omissions, and distortions? Shrinking newsrooms and an army of spin doctors mean journalists can get duped. Despite valiant efforts by a handful of investigative journalists, the truth is routinely left behind.

Award-winning journalist Cecil Rosner insists there is something we can do about this. We can pressure news organizations to stop blindly regurgitating the firehose of press releases and focus instead on determining what is actually true. Rosner empowers readers by sharing his techniques for detecting misinformation and disinformation.