During his 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump didn't rely on the word 'hoax.' He didn't even say 'fake news.' He called the news media 'sick' and biased, but he didn't seriously start to deny its legitimacy until January 2017, when he was confronted by evidence that the Russian government aided his election. That's when he truly needed the news to be fake.

During his 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump didn't rely on the word 'hoax.' He didn't even say 'fake news.' He called the news media 'sick' and biased, but he didn't seriously start to deny its legitimacy until January 2017, when he was confronted by evidence that the Russian government aided his election. That's when he truly needed the news to be fake.

Trump has torn off America's Band-Aid. The stories we are covering are about fundamental American values. We are having debates about democracy versus autocracy, the rule of law, equality and diversity.