Description
Alternative Facts, Falsehoods and Delusions: The Lies We've Told Ourselves and Each Other in American History
April 19, 2019
Late last month, the Washington Post reported President Trump has made some 9,451 false or misleading claims throughout his term in office. Yet, Trump’s supporters have maintained he’s not lying — he’s presenting so-called alternative facts. No matter how you look at it, it’s clear we’re living in what many pundits are calling a post-truth moment — where misinformation, lies and alternative facts are everywhere. Nathan digs into the BackStory archives to bring you a selection of segments that look at alternative facts in American life.
THE GREAT MOON HOAX Matthew Goodman tells Ed why Americans believed fantastical stories of life on the moon published by the New York Sun in 1835. They also explore how the “Great Moon Hoax” – as it became known – changed American journalism.
THE UGLIEST LITTLE MERMAID Ed speaks to historian James “Jay” Cook about the story of P.T. Barnum’s Fiji Mermaid and how a little deception went a long way.
SWEET LITTLE LIES Geoff Bunn helps tell the story of the lie detector and its surprising roots in pulp fiction.
