It has been a tough year for journalism. The mighty White House press corps was caught covering up the age-addled state of U.S. President Joe Biden. The conspiracy necessarily involved the vice-president and first lady, but neither of them were expected to tell the truth. Journalists are supposed to do that.

Some don’t try. There were those who bestrode the world of new journalism like veritable colossi, but it was not clear that they were aiming at journalism. Pandering to Vladimir Putin and castigating Winston Churchill is something, and a rather popular something at that, but is it journalism?