Covering the White House: “Who Ya Gonna Believe?”

The media’s relationship with a President has never been more contentious than in this Administration. Journalists are struggling to keep up with hard-to-believe news and what Kellyanne Conway described as the “alternative facts,” also called lies, by official sources. Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, walks David Remnick through his decision to publish an unverified dossier that alleges Donald Trump’s secret ties to Russia. Critics argued that BuzzFeed’s “decide for yourself” attitude toward publication undermines the public’s trust in the media at this precarious moment.

After Remnick spoke with Smith, more information about the dossier emerged, including information about who may have been the source behind some of the dossier’s salacious claims.