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Not Exactly Lying: Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History
Winner, 2023 Frank Luther Mott / Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award
Winner, 2023 Journalism Studies Division Book Award, International Communication Association
Winner, 2023 History Book Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Long before the current preoccupation with “fake news,” American newspapers routinely ran stories that were not quite, strictly speaking, true. Today, a firm boundary between fact and fakery is a hallmark of journalistic practice, yet for many readers and publishers across more than three centuries, this distinction has seemed slippery or even irrelevant. From fibs about royal incest in America’s first newspaper to social-media-driven conspiracy theories surrounding Barack Obama’s birthplace, Andie Tucher explores how American audiences have argued over what’s real and what’s not―and why that matters for democracy.
Early American journalism was characterized by a hodgepodge of straightforward reporting, partisan broadsides, humbug, tall tales, and embellishment. Around the start of the twentieth century, journalists who were determined to improve the reputation of their craft established professional norms and the goal of objectivity. However, Tucher argues, the creation of outward forms of factuality unleashed new opportunities for News doesn’t have to be true as long as it looks true. Propaganda, disinformation, and advocacy―whether in print, on the radio, on television, or online―could be crafted to resemble the real thing. Dressed up in legitimate journalistic conventions, this “fake journalism” became inextricably bound up with right-wing politics, to the point where it has become an essential driver of political polarization. Shedding light on the long history of today’s disputes over disinformation, Not Exactly Lying is a timely consideration of what happens to public life when news is not exactly true.
Winner, 2023 Journalism Studies Division Book Award, International Communication Association
Winner, 2023 History Book Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Long before the current preoccupation with “fake news,” American newspapers routinely ran stories that were not quite, strictly speaking, true. Today, a firm boundary between fact and fakery is a hallmark of journalistic practice, yet for many readers and publishers across more than three centuries, this distinction has seemed slippery or even irrelevant. From fibs about royal incest in America’s first newspaper to social-media-driven conspiracy theories surrounding Barack Obama’s birthplace, Andie Tucher explores how American audiences have argued over what’s real and what’s not―and why that matters for democracy.
Early American journalism was characterized by a hodgepodge of straightforward reporting, partisan broadsides, humbug, tall tales, and embellishment. Around the start of the twentieth century, journalists who were determined to improve the reputation of their craft established professional norms and the goal of objectivity. However, Tucher argues, the creation of outward forms of factuality unleashed new opportunities for News doesn’t have to be true as long as it looks true. Propaganda, disinformation, and advocacy―whether in print, on the radio, on television, or online―could be crafted to resemble the real thing. Dressed up in legitimate journalistic conventions, this “fake journalism” became inextricably bound up with right-wing politics, to the point where it has become an essential driver of political polarization. Shedding light on the long history of today’s disputes over disinformation, Not Exactly Lying is a timely consideration of what happens to public life when news is not exactly true.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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November 20, 2024No rating
Read for journalism class (hi fellow classmates also on Goodreads). I'm citing this book in my thesis, so I'm glad I read it and got a needed source for some history on early journalism. A well-written and easy read that loses its way in the middle with (arguably) off-topic sections, but it finely summarizes the history of dis- and misinformation in journalism overall. I don't think I would have read or finished this if not for class, but I'm glad I did. I feel better prepared to tackle how I approach news as a consumer—but also as a writer of journalism pieces myself.
Read for journalism class (hi fellow classmates also on Goodreads). I'm citing this book in my thesis, so I'm glad I read it and got a needed source for some history on early journalism. A well-written and easy read that loses its way in the middle with (arguably) off-topic sections, but it finely summarizes the history of dis- and misinformation in journalism overall. I don't think I would have read or finished this if not for class, but I'm glad I did. I feel better prepared to tackle how I approach news as a consumer—but also as a writer of journalism pieces myself.
July 29, 2022
Tucher does a great job highlighting the history of utilising news media for controlling narratives, propaganda, power and the public mind etc. Some moments get lost in conjecture and although not straying from the truth, rely a little too much on informed opinion rather than straight reporting of facts. There’s a million examples Tucher could’ve used from recent history of ‘fake news’ but this book mostly focuses on an overall history leaving more recent events feeling like they’ve been a little crammed in at the end, not that that’s a bad thing but it just feels like the book could’ve been expanded a little. Overall though the analysis is logical and covers a lot of the rarely discussed issues in journalism like motive, PR, objectivity and how the role of journalists has changed over the years, all without playing the regular partisan games or ad hominem attacks.
February 9, 2023
Very informative and well-researched book about the history of journalism; I learned a lot from this. It petered out when it got to recent decades, but I was more interested in the stuff from earlier on anyways. It made an unintentional great pairing with Partisans for that reason, which goes into great detail about right-wing media in the 1980s onwards.
October 7, 2022
3.5; familiar ground...
May 20, 2024
Not Exactly Lying highlights how the journalism profession has been rife with inconsistencies and fake news and disempowerment of those who would stand up for truth since its inception. Tucher’s research creates a blurry line between yellow journalism (as it was eventually coined in the 1880s) and the mass press. Yellow journalism (Pulitzer had his own yellow publication, much to my chagrin) focused on populist ideals, loud and colorful cartoons, and distasteful political takes, and it wasn’t long before “yellow” became synonymous with “fake”.
However, even in the mass press, confirmation bias was encouraged by each regional newspaper; writing what their readers wanted to hear rather than what was factually correct.
Case Example: I had heard of this case prior to reading this book, as Lizzie Borden is a popular topic in the true crime podcast sphere. However, no podcast had covered it like this. Lizzie Borden, an unmarried and childless 32-year-old woman, and the murders she was accused of; it was simply a good story and journalists at the Boston Globe could not turn their noses up at the opportunity to report on such a heinous crime committed by a so seemingly innocent girl. “Based on startling new testimony by 25 new witnesses, the article reported that the youngest Borden daughter had been quarrelling for weeks over his will.” The story purported by the Boston Globe got a lot of attention… before it was promptly disputed by the police, defense counsel, and other newspapers. The entire tale was fabricated by a private detective named McHenry; who had sold his story to a reporter at the Boston Globe for $500 and who had been so focused on getting ahead of the competition that he published the story slandering Lizzie Borden’s name before checking the accuracy of the information.
The Globe released an apology after they were called out for the misinformation provided in the Lizzie Borden piece, and published an apology piece directed at Lizzie and any other surviving family members who took offense to the original article. Lizzie was acquitted of the murder, and to this day no one else has been arrested or suspected, yet Lizzie Borden is still widely regarding as guilty for her family’s murders. Just as Oscar Wilde (also a renowned journalist) said; “A lie gets halfway around the world before the Truth gets it pants on.”
Not Exactly Lying is full to the brim of examples like the one above, where truth had to be gleaned after tasty and believable lies had already been published.
People are ridiculous and will believe what they want to believe; this has been true since the inception of journalism and will be true today. This book was incredibly cathartic as someone who has an interest in political propaganda; nothing being done now is in any way novel and the public belief (or lack thereof) in mass media is in no way new.
However, even in the mass press, confirmation bias was encouraged by each regional newspaper; writing what their readers wanted to hear rather than what was factually correct.
Case Example: I had heard of this case prior to reading this book, as Lizzie Borden is a popular topic in the true crime podcast sphere. However, no podcast had covered it like this. Lizzie Borden, an unmarried and childless 32-year-old woman, and the murders she was accused of; it was simply a good story and journalists at the Boston Globe could not turn their noses up at the opportunity to report on such a heinous crime committed by a so seemingly innocent girl. “Based on startling new testimony by 25 new witnesses, the article reported that the youngest Borden daughter had been quarrelling for weeks over his will.” The story purported by the Boston Globe got a lot of attention… before it was promptly disputed by the police, defense counsel, and other newspapers. The entire tale was fabricated by a private detective named McHenry; who had sold his story to a reporter at the Boston Globe for $500 and who had been so focused on getting ahead of the competition that he published the story slandering Lizzie Borden’s name before checking the accuracy of the information.
The Globe released an apology after they were called out for the misinformation provided in the Lizzie Borden piece, and published an apology piece directed at Lizzie and any other surviving family members who took offense to the original article. Lizzie was acquitted of the murder, and to this day no one else has been arrested or suspected, yet Lizzie Borden is still widely regarding as guilty for her family’s murders. Just as Oscar Wilde (also a renowned journalist) said; “A lie gets halfway around the world before the Truth gets it pants on.”
Not Exactly Lying is full to the brim of examples like the one above, where truth had to be gleaned after tasty and believable lies had already been published.
People are ridiculous and will believe what they want to believe; this has been true since the inception of journalism and will be true today. This book was incredibly cathartic as someone who has an interest in political propaganda; nothing being done now is in any way novel and the public belief (or lack thereof) in mass media is in no way new.
October 4, 2022
This book does a really nice job of chronicling the history of false journalism in America. One of its best aspects is the distinction between fake news and fake journalism. This is especially important as fake journalism takes more hold in the American media. While having all the trappings of real news coverage, it pushes an essentially fake and predetermined story.
February 17, 2025
A really outstanding history of American journalism and a sobering look at the challenges of fake news and fake journalism. No neat solution at the end, but some very important frames offered for thinking about the issues.
June 5, 2024
A must-read for anyone interested in journalism history.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews