Essentially, the average reader can't tell the difference between well-cited reporting and questionably-cited reporting. Which seems reasonable, given that both now heavily feature "anonymous sources in senior government positions."
I think the accelerant to the problem is the increased throughput of news. If I throw out complete BS on my news site, no one is likely to fact check me unless it's a major story. And why would a reputable news org waste their time replying to "Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton had a secret genetically engineered Aryan baby"?
If it isn't debunked, then only the crackpot article is read, and it plays to the "mainstream media isn't covering this" conspiracy. If it is debunked, then (a) someone has to read the source that debunks it & (b) it gets spun as "well, of course they're trying to cover this up."
I think the accelerant to the problem is the increased throughput of news. If I throw out complete BS on my news site, no one is likely to fact check me unless it's a major story. And why would a reputable news org waste their time replying to "Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton had a secret genetically engineered Aryan baby"?
If it isn't debunked, then only the crackpot article is read, and it plays to the "mainstream media isn't covering this" conspiracy. If it is debunked, then (a) someone has to read the source that debunks it & (b) it gets spun as "well, of course they're trying to cover this up."