Book Review: Ethical Journalism: Adopting the Ethics of Care, by Joe Mathewson

journalists, stating, “Duped citizens noticed that, too, and in their anger over having fallen for a fake, many of them vowed never to believe another story of wartime atrocity again” (p. 139). Moving through World War II, the Cold War, Watergate, and through Barack Obama’s presidency, Not Exactly Lying highlights the progression of fake news in America’s media landscape. In this time period, journalism began to assume its position as a watchdog in society, with the media employing Vincent Blasi’s checking value as a means of holding the government accountable. As time goes on, fake news continues to evolve. With the advent of social media and the internet, influencers and bloggers, among other people, have become more prominent forces in the media realm. As mentioned, Tucher notes that fake news morphs and changes with the times, adapting to the cultural and social context of a given era. At the beginning of Not Exactly Lying, Tucher stressed that fake news did not begin with Donald Trump, although he did bring it to the forefront of public discussion—making about 30,000 false claims during his time in office. This book does an excellent job of defining fake news and how it applies to society, both in the past and today. While critiques of former President Trump are pointed in nature, Not Exactly Lying contextualizes these within a more than 200-year history of fake news, rather than the past decade or so. Tucher’s in-depth analysis provides a detailed overview of fake news in America’s media landscape, specifically journalism, throughout the past 200 years, and is an excellent touchstone for those interested in seeing how journalism’s past influences both the present and future of the field. As Tucher notes in her conclusion,