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Donald Trump has accused the media of reporting "fake news" and of being "the enemy of the people," and legacy media outlets are hitting back, reminding Americans that they are aligned with the foundations of a free society: truth, facts, and helping voters hold elected leaders accountable. Surely, teaching American politics in the time of Trump presents some real challenges, so what is a college instructor to do? Actually, "it's not hard at all to teach in the Trump era," says Lynn Vavreck, an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a popular political commentator with experience working in the White House and on political campaigns. She is also co- author of the best-selling CQ Press textbook The Logic of American Politics (Logic). "Our jobs as instructors is to teach students the skills they need to think critically, not to teach them the best pathway to equality, for example. People disagree about that [pathway], and students have to come out of class knowing people disagree about that." "One way for students to hone their critical thinking skills is to understand the role of news in American politics, but news media and the way we consume news have changed over the last decade," confirms Vavreck. "More news is being produced, delivered, and shared on digital platforms than at any point in our nation's history, but the role of the media as an independent check on government has not changed—nor has its influence on citizens." Vavreck feels it's important to get students to think about what drives media coverage and what effects it has on politicians and voters. "To do this, it is helpful to keep in mind the different platforms on which news can be encountered in our current media environment. I like to focus on three: traditional, legacy news outlets (like The New York Times, CBS News, or CNN), digital-only platforms that may contain content provided by people who aren't reporters (think of blogs like The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Red State, or even sites like Vox.com and FiveThirtyEight.com), and social media platforms where legacy articles can be shared or original content can be posted (think of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Snapchat). Each platform is important in understanding the role of news in American politics—and each may play a different role in helping citizens coordinate with one another to solve collective actions problems, which is Logic's core premise." "People think that late night show hosts provide news, but they do not. They are entertainers, not reporters. That's why teaching students to distinguish responsible reporting from all this other stuff—opinion, analysis, polemics, whatever the trends of the day—will help them to become responsible consumers of information." It's also why Logic offers a full chapter dedicated to this important topic. "Democracy Dies in Darkness," reads the new masthead on The Washington Post. CNN is reminding Americans that they stand for "Facts First" in a series of advertisements about apples not being called bananas. The New York Times is branding itself through an ad campaign proclaiming, "The Truth is Hard." The Logic of American Politics, Ninth Edition Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck See page 10 for details. One way for students to hone their critical thinking skills is to understand the role of news in American politics... Teaching the Ecosystem That is the Modern Media Lynn Vavreck, popular political commentator and CQ Press author, talks about how understanding the role of media can strengthen critical thinking. Media & Politics 3

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