Description
Book SynopsisFrom fibs about royal incest in America’s first newspaper to social-media-driven conspiracy theories surrounding Barack Obama’s birthplace, Andie Tucher explores how American audiences have argued over what’s real and what’s not—and why that matters for democracy.
Trade ReviewIn this artfully written account, Andie Tucher offers a sweeping history of misinformation and the American press. Most strikingly,
Not Exactly Lying reveals that the present panic surrounding so-called “fake news” has missed the point: It’s the modern profusion of “fake journalism”—the appropriation of journalistic standards to serve up puffery, propaganda, and hyperpartisan fare—that is more concerning for the future of media and public life. -- Seth C. Lewis, Shirley Papé Chair in Emerging Media at the University of Oregon
Not Exactly Lying provides a beautifully written and deeply researched history of “fake news” and “fake journalism” in the United States, offering deep context for understanding our contemporary democratic crisis and the role of journalism in that crisis. Tucher takes on one of the most urgent issues of our day. -- Kathy Roberts Forde, coeditor of
Journalism and Jim Crow: White Supremacy and the Black Struggle for a New AmericaIn exploring the various ways that fakes and falsehoods have made their way to the public as “journalism” and “news,” Tucher follows a number of trends: the evolving internal conventions of and boundaries around journalism, the introduction of new media technologies, the waxing and waning of partisan influence on and control over key news outlets, and changing public appetites for news. Not Exactly Lying shows that the enemy of good journalism is not slant but untruth. -- Michael Stamm, author of
Dead Tree Media: Manufacturing the Newspaper in Twentieth-Century North AmericaTucher’s expansive history of fake journalism and fake news makes a compelling read and a powerful argument for the importance of truth in news. * American Journalism *
An illuminating and extremely timely exposé. * H-Journalism History *
Professional journalists and historians would be well-served to explore
Not Exactly Lying to gain a greater understanding of the origins, role, and impact of fake news on the past and present. * LSE Review of Books *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. “False Reports, Maliciously Made”
2. “Important If True”
3. “Not Exactly Lying”
4. “I Believe in Faking”
5. “We Did Not Call It Propaganda”
6. “Nothing That Is Not Interesting Is News”
7. “Why Don’t You Guys Tell the Truth Once in a While?”
8. “So Goddamn Objective”
9. “The Bastards Are Making It Up!”
10. “Fake but Accurate”
Conclusion: “A Degenerate and Perverted Monstrosity”
Notes
Bibliography
Index
