A democracy depends on its citizens knowing what their government is doing. That information reaches them through journalists, networks, newspapers, public broadcasters, and digital platforms. When those channels are concentrated in a few hands — and the government pressures those few owners — what the public learns changes.
Fake News and Captive Media examines what has happened since 2025: a wave of mergers that would put CBS News and CNN under the same owner; local television groups expanding beyond the legal ownership cap; the end of federally funded public broadcasting; and a government campaign against the press that ranges from multibillion-dollar lawsuits to the removal of reporters from the White House and the Pentagon.
The book also untangles the phrase "fake news." The president uses it to discredit critical outlets, yet real disinformation exists — and in the same period the major platforms scaled back their efforts to fight it. Telling the two apart is one of the most important tasks any citizen faces. Includes a document guide and full source notes.
Book 5 of Putting America Last: A World Without Friends.