When bullets and conspiracies fly

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13 added fuel to an already fiery election season. In this case, political violence was carried out against the party that is most often found espousing it. The incident shows how uncontrollable political violence can be, and how dangerous the current times are for America.

Part of the complication is the contentious and adversarial nature of American politics. But technology makes it more difficult for Americans to understand sudden news developments.

Gone are the days when only a handful of media outlets reported the news to broad swaths of society after rigorous fact-checking by professional journalists. By contrast, anyone today can "report" news online, provide what they claim is "analysis" of events, and combine fact, fiction, speculation and opinion to fit a desired narrative or political perspective.

That