Note: This is a PDF/Print version of this article. Click here to view this content in your web browser
What post truth looks like
In something that reads like a scrapped episode for "Black Mirror," Trump's security advisor, Michael Flynn tweeted a link to a wantonly fake story about a bizarre conspiracy involving the Clintons, sex-trafficking, and a DC Pizzeria. Result? A man "investigating" (by way of a rifle) barged into the restaurant and discharged his weapon. Conspiracy theorists exercising unfathomably bad judgment and scary behavior isn't new, the mainstreaming by elected officials and social media is. (Look no further than the comments found on the official reply from the targeted Pizzeria). In a year filled with a lot of massive stories, the rise of fake news may be in hindsight the biggest story of 2016.