In the ever-churning landscape of American political punditry, truth tends to take a back seat to narrative. There are few members of the chattering class who embody this reality more than Sunny Hostin, co-host of “The View.”

Hostin is known for making controversial, and often silly, remarks on the show. But recently, she stepped in it with repeated comments regarding interactions with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is currently trying to become the next Speaker of the House.

On more than one occasion, Hostin claimed on air that that while she was giving testimony before Congress on the topic of allowing cameras in courtrooms, Jordan became unhinged and was “screaming and yelling and terrorized me and the other experts on the panel.”

The problem?

Jordan never even spoke to her.

On Thursday’s The View, Sunny Hostin talked for the third time in recent weeks about testifying before Congress, during which she claimed that she was “terrorized” by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. However, a review of the hearing shows the Republican did not speak to or address Hostin.

Hostin referred specifically and directly to her testimony on the subject of cameras as a means of public record and public understanding regarding the Supreme Court. But it was cameras on Capitol Hill that made it possible to compare Hostin’s descriptions on The View against the public record.

“I testified in front of Congress about something so simple, cameras in courtrooms. He came in late. He looked disheveled and he immediately was screaming and yelling and terrorized me and the other experts on the panel. And describing him as a terrorist is exactly that. He’s a chaos agent and it came out of nowhere,” said Hostin on October 5, as conservative media site Newsbusters pointed out on October 5th, and fact-checked on October 9th.

The truth is that Jordan’s ire was directed at another witness, CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin.

“When I testified in front of Jim Jordan, he seems like such a lunatic, he seems like such a wild card. And he’s terrifying!” Hostin said in another episode.

So, if Hostin’s lie was so easy to fact-check, then why would she make that false claim on air in the first place? Therein lies the insidious genius of shows like “The View.” Its audience is largely partisan and biased in favor of the left. The show is intended to provide them with narratives that already align with their worldview. On top of that, most of these folks don’t have the time or desire to check out the claims being made by Hostin’s ilk, so they will never know that she lied to their faces on national television.

It is the perfect way to manipulate people, is it not?

This is what shows like “The View” do every single day: pepper their audience with false narratives that they go on to spread to their friends and families. It’s an ingenious – and evil strategy, one that is disturbingly effective. It further illustrates that the media’s objective is not to inform their audience, but it influence it.