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Bias, Fake News, and the State of the Fourth Estate

Since President Trump first used the term "fake news" just a few weeks into his presidency, the term has become a key part of American lexicon - and for good reason.  According to the Pew Research Center, 62 percent of adults get their news from social media, 23 percent of people say they have shared a fake news story, and 64 percent of adults say fake news has caused confusion around current events.

Since the 2016 election, both on the right and the left, the mainstream media has been accused of bias in some form or another - with serious repercussions.  According to Gallup, Americans' trust in the media has dropped to 32 percent, its lowest level in Gallup polling history, including an 8 percent drop in one year alone.

What are the implications of news biases and fake news (real or not) on media, journalists, and the Fourth Estate as a whole? And what does it mean for the future of the free press?

Panelists include:

Ted Diadiun, Editorial Writer, The Plain Dealer 

Henry J. Gomez, Political Reporter, BuzzFeed News

John C. Green, Ph.D., Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron

Clare Malone, Senior Political Reporter, FiveThirtyEight

This conversation is moderated by WCPN  Sound of Ideas host and Plain Dealer columnist  Michael K. McIntyre

Jean-Marie Papoi is a digital producer for the arts & culture team at Ideastream Public Media.