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By Hannah Thomas-Peter, US correspondent

I walked past a church last week.

Sounds like the beginning of a joke.

Unfortunately not.

The sign at the front read: "No fake news here, only the Good News".

I felt a flash of anger.

Why would a place of worship so causally adopt this toxic political slogan?

Has it become such an accepted part of everyday speech that we no longer consider the damage it is doing?

Of course it is the responsibility of journalists and newsrooms to earn the trust of the public we serve.

Most of us try, every single day, to do so.

But the phrase fake news has poisoned public life and discourse.

It does not mean literally flawed or false journalism, but journalism or facts that someone doesn't like.

It has become shorthand for "I don't want to believe this so I'll dismiss it because it suits me to do so".

The very idea has led to a measurable increase in threats to journalists.

But most importantly, it is making it harder for us to do our jobs, because it undermines trust.

There is a maxim that every rookie in every newsroom learns; that the definition of news is something that somebody, somewhere wants to suppress, and all the rest is just advertising.

Finding facts that someone wants hidden is really hard.

It needs experience, judgement, thick skin, persistence, an ability to take finely calibrated risks, and often, courage.

But that fancy stuff doesn't mean anything without the central, magic ingredient.

In the end, uncovering new facts almost always relies on a variation on one theme; someone decides to take a chance on a reporter, because they trust them.

Here's just a few examples from the past few years - not in any way exhaustive - of stories that might not have come to prominence without journalism.

The Rotherham child grooming scandal.

The poisoned water in Flint, Michigan.

Harvey Weinstein.

Cambridge Analytica and the use of personal data to influence elections.

Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections and its connections to the Trump campaign.

In the end, uncovering new facts almost always relies on a variation on one theme; someone decides to take a chance on a reporter, because they trust them.

There are many, many others.

Sure, we make mistakes.

But are we really, as Donald Trump would have it, the "enemy of the people"?

At its finest, journalism protects ordinary citizens.

It holds the powerful to account, and gives voice to the voiceless.

Depending on the circumstances, that could be you, or your family, or your community.

So please don't chuck around fake news as an accusation, insult or a joke.

You are taking a swing at the people who might be your last line of defence one day.

And that's exactly what powerful people and organisations want.

It's very convenient for them if you don't trust us anymore.

Don't let them manipulate you.

Sky Views is a series of comment pieces by Sky News editors and correspondents, published every morning.

Previously on Sky Views: Sport's transgender debate has been hijacked by hate