Fake news, and no Russian in sight

Even in the golden age of fake news as a political weapon and presidential epithet, it’s difficult to compete with the National Enquirer for examples of malicious nonjournalism. Last year, the supermarket tabloid’s publisher, American Media Inc, acknowledged paying an alleged paramour of President Trump for her story so that it would not be published – a case of suppressing rather than producing news.

Now Jeff Bezos – the Amazon founder, richest man on the planet and, as it happens, owner of a real news organisation, the Washington Post – has accused the company of further activities bearing no relationship to journalism. Bezos has revealed what he said were emails from Enquirer representatives attempting to blackmail him. They threatened to publish embarrassing photos of the tycoon and his mistress, including a ‘‘below-thebelt selfie’’, unless he and the Post ceased all critical examination of the tabloid. Bezos alluded to additional targets of the company, and other Trump antagonists have made similar allegations of threats emanating from American Media.

This isn’t the kind of company other presidents proudly kept, but Trump has a long, close association with American Media chairman David Pecker. In a more recent example of their symbiosis, the president noted the Enquirer’s Bezos expose and declared the tabloid ‘‘far more accurate’’ than the Post. Fake news indeed.