ABSTRACT
This chapter includes two excerpts focusing on developments in media and politics between 2016 and 2018, a period in which the concepts of ‘post-truth’ and ‘fake news’ moved to the forefront of public consciousness in the US and Europe. The first is from an article by critical discourse analyst Martin Montgomery in which he applies some of the principles of persuasion we discussed in unit B8 to the discourse of Donald Trump. It was also generally acknowledged that he had difficulty on many occasions in following his campaign team’s script. Instead his style was unbuttoned and direct, with unmistakable markers of extempore speech. Nevertheless, the issue has recently gained traction in public discourse where opposing political actors have fought over its meaning and most importantly, the explanation for its cause.
