How the media supports Trump's fake news

Sam Smith - It used to be that journalists felt responsible for telling the truth. If a politician was a chronic lier you just ignored him. But these days, journalism is about what the powerful say and do even if it's based on serious falsehoods.

As a result of this shift, someone like Trump can spread thousands of lies but have them presented as news. While some media go back and check out the validity of what Trump has said, it is usually later - even days later - so his falsehoods have lots of time to blossom.

It is time for the media to sit down and figure out a better way to handle it. Here are some alternatives:

- Don't quote the president until his facts are checked

- Include an advisory such as "The president's allegations have not yet been confirmed."

- Ciite the president's argument but not the unproven facts behind it.

- Have a Democratic official on hand to counter any Trump falsehoods.

In any case, the media has to stop acting as enablers of America's most dishonest presidents. As things now stand they are betraying their own standards of honor.