I'm a Coyotes beat writer so this may not surprise you: I have been thinking a lot lately about the spread of misinformation. I think it is one of the greatest threats to America's functionality.

Politicians, websites and marketers have learned how to manipulate people's habits by preying on their fears and desires. Truth no longer matters. Winning is all that matters, and it can be achieved by combining the aforementioned emotions with incomplete or misleading data, half truths, or outright lies.

We need journalism standards for information dissemination. We need consequences for those who don't adhere to the standards. We need to train Americans — in schools and in businesses — ho...