Techniques of 19th-century fake news reporter teach us why we fall for it today

By Petra S. McGillen, Assistant Professor of German Studies, Dartmouth College. German journalist and novelist Theodor Fontane. Wikimedia Commons Donald Trump appears to have a straightforward definition of fake news: Stories that are critical of him or his presidency are “fake,” while those that praise him are “real.” On the surface, the logic doesn’t hold up.…