For news junkies like me, these are the times that try (wo)men’s souls. We’re at the height of the most contentious political campaign of our lives and the news business is in a ratings, readership and ad revenue frenzy. Because of the unprecedented level of lies and propaganda routinely involved in this unique campaign cycle, most credible TV news networks, some radio and many major newspapers have taken to “fact checking” claims, which one would think would be a really good and effective way of supporting truth. Truth used to be a fundamental feature of journalism until the demise of the fairness doctrine and equal time rule back during the Reagan administration. For people truly trying to separate truth from fiction, you might think debunking BS would be useful. Not so much.

How people get their news has clearly evolved. Pew Research finds that 86% of U.S. adults get at least some of their news from their personal electronic devices, 63% get news from television, 42% from radio and 26% still read print. The question of who people actually trust as a news media source is crazy complicated.