I’ve been thinking about how birtherism – a lie about Barack Obama’s citizenship – consolidated right-wing conspiracy nuts into a potent political force. I was an editor at the Chicago Tribune when it bubbled up in 2008, and I was assigned to edit a story on the subject. 1/7

I initially resisted the idea of us writing about birtherism at all. It was obvious BS. If you were plotting a government takeover, would you put all your chips on a Kenyan-born black guy with a funny name and then fake a birth certificate for him in Hawaii? I mean, come on. 2/7

But I followed orders. The word had come down from on high that we should examine birtherism in our pages. I was told that we needed to give our readers the facts and not look like we were part of some cover-up. “Sunlight is a disinfectant” and all that. 3/7

And so the Chicago Tribune published this article about birtherism in October 2008. The reporter (who was probably not thrilled by the assignment either but was professional about it) did a fine, straightforward job. Just the facts. 4/7 https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-10-30-0810290685-story.html

Did we help debunk birtherism? I don’t think so. Did we help elevate it into the mainstream? Probably. I thought using the word “rumor” would make people think there was no factual basis for it. But by putting it in our pages, we gave it more oxygen. 5/7

Our story didn’t mention Trump by name. He hadn’t yet become head cheerleader for birtherism. It was only later that he used the issue to help build his racist, nativist base. And then he dropped the issue in 2016 when it threatened to hurt him instead of help. 6/7

I think of this when Trump lies about the 2020 election. Many people think any accusation “might be true.” Birtherism was an early wave of what’s become an all-out assault on the truth. Which is why legitimate media must be careful about what they elevate. 7/7