Conspiracy theories and rumours in Trump’s America
Rumours that the Kremlin undermined American democracy by helping Donald Trump win kept the US press busy this week.
On The Listening Post this week: Conspiracy theories and rumours swirl in Washington, DC as media and the US public try to make sense of it all. Plus, the evolution of headline writing.
Contributors:
Adam H. Johnson, media analyst, FAIR
Marcy Wheeler, independent journalist
Oksana Boyko, host, RT
Michael S. Schmidt, national security reporter, New York Times
On our radar:
• Twelve digital news producers have been arrested in Iran in advance of the country’s upcoming presidential elections. The journalists in question run alternative politics channels on the instant messaging service Telegram.
• The appointment of the George Osborne, a British member of parliament and former Chancellor, as editor of London’s Evening Standard newspaper has raised question marks over the title’s future independence.
• Another journalist has been murdered in the drug-weary Mexican state of Veracruz. Prosecutors are investigating whether his killing was linked to his work, in an area that is notorious for attacks on media workers.
Headlines then, now and forever
How have headlines evolved, from their early days in the late 19th century to their bold modern digital descendants?
Contributors:
Teresa Schmedding, president, American Copy Editors Society
Kevin Leung, copy editor, LA Times
Martin Conboy, professor, Sheffield University
James Alan Anslow, former tabloid journalist