Journalism Program: ‘Fake News’ in the press

We heard a lot about the term “fake news” in the press this week. More than six months ago, the French-American Foundation talked about the recent rise of “fake news” during a panel discussion which took a comparative look at the United States and France, especially in light of France’s presidential elections.

Princeton historian David Bell provided a historical perspective on “fake news” in both countries. Our panelists from Facebook, First Draft News, and Le Monde.fr addressed the contemporary phenomenon: Is this the end of traditional journalism? What happened to fact-checking, one of journalism’s primary tenets? How do we ensure that the media remains the “fourth pillar of democracy”? 

James Graff, a foreign news editor at The Wall Street Journal and former Paris bureau chief for Time, moderated the discussion.

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*Speakers:

DAVID BELL 
Historian of early modern France, Professor of History, Princeton University

AINE KERR  
Manager of Journalism Partnerships at Facebook

AIMEE RINEHART
Partner Network Manager at First Draft News

ADRIEN SENECAT Journalist, Le Monde.fr and Les Décodeurs

*Moderator:

JAMES GRAFF   
Foreign News Editor at The Wall Street Journal