This course is for anyone who reads the news or produces it, for those who want accurate information and those who want to provide it. Students will gain a true-north understanding of the role of the free press in a democracy, the rise and allure of online fake news, and how empowered individuals and the news media can push back against this 21st century threat to freedom. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.