The Weaponization of Doubt

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I offer a parallel reading of Erdogan and Trump in order to highlight the extent to which these two leaders have engaged—actively and effectively—in discrediting not only journalistic content (called ‘fake news’ or ‘treason’), but also the very institutions of journalism, institutions that are key agents in international and national power geometries. The parallel reading is particularly useful because, as I argue, Trump and Erdogan can be understood as different nodes on the democratic plane, with clearly overlapping rhetorical and political strategies to meddle with power hierarchies, to reposition the role and status of their respective countries.