The Power Center in the GOP Isn’t Just Trump, It’s the Conservative Media

… The main conduits through which Trump exerts control over other Republicans are the conservative media outlets with which he has maintained a close alliance ever since his 2016 nomination. Trump is much more effective at imposing his preferences on the party when the Republican electorate is made aware of […] Read more »

Public Trust in CDC, FDA, and Fauci Holds Steady

With more than two-thirds of American adults vaccinated with at least one dose of an authorized Covid-19 vaccine, the top U.S. health agencies retain the trust of the vast majority of the American public, as does Dr. Anthony Fauci, the public face of U.S. efforts to combat the virus, according […] Read more »

Trump’s still waging a war on truth — and it’s still bad for democracy

… Eight months after he lost convincingly to President Biden, Trump and his followers are studiously maintaining an alternative reality — and having remarkable success keeping the fiction alive. … There’s no mystery why Trump wants to keep his baseless narrative alive. The fiction transforms him from a loser to, […] Read more »

Can Disinformation Be Stopped?

“STOP THE STEAL” was first trotted out during the 2016 Republican primaries. As the Republican National Convention approached, Donald Trump’s campaign consultant Roger Stone coined the phrase, urging people to resist the allegedly corrupt “establishment” Republicans who wouldn’t let Trump win. When he prevailed, it became irrelevant. Stone brought the […] Read more »

What makes a news story trustworthy? Americans point to the outlet that publishes it, sources cited

Americans see a variety of factors as important when it comes to deciding whether a news story is trustworthy or not, but their attitudes vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Overall, broad majorities of U.S. adults say it […] Read more »