Episode 5: Fake News! America's History with Questionable News Media

"Fake news" has agitated for war, smeared political opponents, and stoked tensions within the country... and that's just talking about the role of newspapers before 1850. We've come a long way since then; some things have changed, and some things haven't. What exactly qualifies as "fake news" and how has that term evolved over time?

This episode traces the history of "fake news" in America, from sensational Revolutionary-era reports and partisan 18th-century newspapers to yellow journalism, the rise of investigative muckrakers, and the development of broadcast and cable news.