Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold will speak about fake news

October 4, 2017
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017

EVENT: “Trump, Twitter and Fake News: How Journalists Can Build Credibility by Opening up Their Work” features Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post.

PLACE: Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor

DETAILS: How should the press adapt when those in power use the epithet “fake news” to attack real reporting? Fahrenthold offers suggestions for both reporters and news consumers in this new era. He will discuss how journalists can open up their reporting processes on social media, show the public the work that underlies their stories, and invite readers in as collaborators.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Fahrenthold used social media to follow up on Donald Trump’s pledge to donate money to veterans groups. Posting his reporter’s notes on Twitter to solicit leads, Fahrenthold uncovered Trump’s questionable charitable practices and found no evidence that Trump donated money as he had claimed.

Fahrenthold was also the first reporter to reveal the existence of the 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump bragged about groping women. For his series of stories, he won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

A graduate of Harvard University, Fahrenthold has been at the Washington Post since 2000. There he reports on Trump’s businesses and conflicts of interest. He previously covered Congress, the environment, the federal bureaucracy and the D.C. police.

Fahrenthold’s talk is presented by U-M’s Wallace House, home to the Knight-Wallace Fellowships and the Livingston Awards, two programs that recognize exceptional journalists for their work, leadership and potential.

SPONSORS: Wallace House, Communication Studies, Department of English Language and Literature, Ford School of Public Policy.

INFORMATION: Talk is free to the public. RSVP to WallaceHouseRSVP@umich.edu. Live webcast at wallacehouse.umich.edu/?p=8583