The New Yorker’s Head of Fact Checking on Our Post-Truth Era

Fergus McIntosh, the head research editor at The New Yorker, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how the magazine is approaching fact -checking in the second Trump era. They talk about how the spread of disinformation and deepfakes has changed the work of verifying facts; why Trump has been more aggressive, in his second term, about restricting the release of government data; and what makes his particular style of spreading falsehoods so difficult to counter.

This week’s reading:

• “The Latest Phase in Trump’s War on Data,” by Fergus McIntosh
• “Inside the Chaos at the C.D.C.,” by Charles Bethea
• “Social Media Is Navigating Its Sectarian Phase,”by Kyle Chayka 
• “Brazil Braces for a Verdict on Its Ex-President—and on Its Democracy,” by Jon Lee Anderson
• “Does Society Have Too Many Rules?,” by Joshua Rothman

Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.