Navigating Misinformation in Political Discourse

Fergus McIntosh, the head research editor at The New Yorker, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how the magazine is approaching fact -checking in the second Trump era. They talk about how the spread of disinformation and deepfakes has changed the work of verifying facts; why Trump has been more aggressive, in his second term, about restricting the release of government data; and what makes his particular style of spreading falsehoods so difficult to counter.

This week’s reading:

• “The Latest Phase in Trump’s War on Data,” by Fergus McIntosh
• “Inside the Chaos at the C.D.C.,” by Charles Bethea
• “Social Media Is Navigating Its Sectarian Phase,”by Kyle Chayka 
• “Brazil Braces for a Verdict on Its Ex-President—and on Its Democracy,” by Jon Lee Anderson
• “Does Society Have Too Many Rules?,” by Joshua Rothman

Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.