New study says Trump has ‘dangerously undermined truth’ with attacks on news media

[homersapien 11,812]

By

Paul Farhi 

April 16, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EDT

A new research report from a leading journalism organization says President Trump’s attacks on the news media have endangered American democracy and imperiled press freedom in other countries.

The report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) catalogues a lengthy list of Trump’s anti-press behaviors, from repeatedly tarring credible reporting with charges of “fake news,” to trying to bar reporters from the White House, to scrubbing or withholding information from government websites.

Trump’s attacks on the news media have “dangerously undermined truth and consensus in a deeply divided country” at a time when the nation faces the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus, concludes CPJ, a New York-based organization that monitors press issues around the world.

Its report, titled “The Trump Administration and the Media,” documents such Trump administration practices as using U.S. Customs and Border Protection to question journalists and search their electronic devices at border crossings; Trump’s calls for boycotts of news organizations and for changes in libel laws to punish reporting he doesn’t like; the ending of formal White House press briefings for more than a year; and Trump’s repeated lies to discredit accurate reporting.

It also cites the president’s harassment of media companies — he has threatened regulatory action against corporate owners — and his reelection campaign’s recent lawsuits against The Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN for opinion columns it disputed.

A history of the Trump War on Media — the obsession not even coronavirus could stop

The document is based on interviews with nearly 40 journalists, press freedom advocates, academics, media lawyers, and current and former administration officials, including Michael Dubke, who served briefly as Trump’s White House communications director.

Dubke, who largely defended Trump’s approach to the news media in the report, nevertheless endorsed its conclusion that Trump has emboldened foreign leaders to crack down on their own news media. “What concerns me is that authoritarian leaders who had already placed restrictions on their press are using President Trump’s words to justify what they are doing,” he is quoted in the report as saying. “It’s convenient for them to do so.”

The report was written by Leonard Downie Jr., the former executive editor of The Post and now a journalism professor at Arizona State University. Downie was the author of a CPJ report in 2013 that criticized the Obama administration’s “aggressive” prosecution of suspected government leakers and investigation of journalists who reported on the leaks.

“I hope this [report] helps people see what’s going on,” Downie said in an interview.

“People can see Trump’s attacks on the press, but not really know their impact” or scope, he said. “You can be aware of the drip, drip, drip of this every day, but not see the whole picture, which is shocking.”

Trump’s habit of telling “the same lies over and over again” combined with conservative lawmakers’ efforts to restrict voting rights raise doubts about whether the November election will be conducted fairly amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downie said.

Public attitudes toward the media have remained generally stable during Trump’s presidency, although public-opinion polls have shown a deepening partisan split, with self-identified Republicans far more likely to express distrust in news reporting than Democrats.

This split was reflected in a Pew Research Center survey about the virus in mid-March: At a time when Trump was still minimizing the risks of the pandemic, only 33 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said the outbreak was a major threat to the health of the U.S. population, compared with 59 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.

The report says the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department are among the federal departments and agencies whose websites have been scrubbed of information about several controversial subjects, such as climate change, corporate taxation, the Affordable Care Act and LGBTQ issues. At the same time, less information is available online about officials’ schedules and visitors to the White House and cabinet departments, it said.

The report documents a series of attacks by Trump or his administration against the owners of media organizations in an apparent attempt to punish them for unfavorable coverage.

NBC’s Peter Alexander asked Trump to reassure Americans about coronavirus. Trump berated him instead.

In May 2018, for example, The Post reported that Trump had urged the U.S. Postal Service to double the rate it charges Amazon and other firms to ship packages, a move that appeared to be aimed at Amazon’s founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, who owns The Post through a company separate from Amazon.

Trump was also critical last year of Amazon as the Pentagon was about to award a $10 billion cloud-computing contract. After the contract was awarded to Microsoft, Amazon filed a formal protest, saying Trump’s “repeated public and behind-the-scenes attacks” on Amazon had swung the contract to Microsoft.

What’s more, Trump has threatened to remove the broadcast licenses of TV station owners, such as NBC, after critical news reports, and made multiple statements critical of AT&T as it was seeking to acquire Time Warner, the parent of CNN. His Justice Department subsequently challenged the merger, arguing that the company should be required to sell the part of Time Warner that operates CNN as a condition for approval of the deal. Two federal courts rejected the argument, clearing the way for the merger.

Trump’s deployment of the term “fake news” has encouraged authoritarian leaders in other countries to invoke the same phrase to justify press restrictions in their countries, the report said.

It noted that between January 2017 and May 2019, 26 countries enacted or introduced laws or rules restricting online media and journalistic access in the name of preventing “fake news.” The leaders of Poland, Hungary, Turkey, China, the Philippines and Cambodia are among those who have cited Trump and “fake news” to criticize or restrict the press in their countries.

How breaking news got panelized: On cable, journalists and pundits increasingly share space.

While the report primarily focuses on Trump, it also offered some criticism of the American news media. It said news organizations have contributed to a blurring of the lines between fact and opinions by mixing opinion, analysis and conventional reporting in articles and in cable TV panel discussions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/new-study-says-trump-has-dangerously-undermined-truth-with-attacks-on-news-media/2020/04/15/4152f81c-7f2d-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html

 

The organization made nine recommendations to the Trump administration, including that it refrain from “delegitimizing or discrediting” journalists, “not least during a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

[Grumps 3,706]

12 hours ago, homersapien said:

By

aul Farhi 

April 16, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EDT

A new research report from a leading journalism organization says President Trump’s attacks on the news media have endangered American democracy and imperiled press freedom in other countries.

The report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) catalogues a lengthy list of Trump’s anti-press behaviors, from repeatedly tarring credible reporting with charges of “fake news,” to trying to bar reporters from the White House, to scrubbing or withholding information from government websites.

Trump’s attacks on the news media have “dangerously undermined truth and consensus in a deeply divided country” at a time when the nation faces the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus, concludes CPJ, a New York-based organization that monitors press issues around the world.

Its report, titled “The Trump Administration and the Media,” documents such Trump administration practices as using U.S. Customs and Border Protection to question journalists and search their electronic devices at border crossings; Trump’s calls for boycotts of news organizations and for changes in libel laws to punish reporting he doesn’t like; the ending of formal White House press briefings for more than a year; and Trump’s repeated lies to discredit accurate reporting.

It also cites the president’s harassment of media companies — he has threatened regulatory action against corporate owners — and his reelection campaign’s recent lawsuits against The Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN for opinion columns it disputed.

A history of the Trump War on Media — the obsession not even coronavirus could stop

The document is based on interviews with nearly 40 journalists, press freedom advocates, academics, media lawyers, and current and former administration officials, including Michael Dubke, who served briefly as Trump’s White House communications director.

Dubke, who largely defended Trump’s approach to the news media in the report, nevertheless endorsed its conclusion that Trump has emboldened foreign leaders to crack down on their own news media. “What concerns me is that authoritarian leaders who had already placed restrictions on their press are using President Trump’s words to justify what they are doing,” he is quoted in the report as saying. “It’s convenient for them to do so.”

The report was written by Leonard Downie Jr., the former executive editor of The Post and now a journalism professor at Arizona State University. Downie was the author of a CPJ report in 2013 that criticized the Obama administration’s “aggressive” prosecution of suspected government leakers and investigation of journalists who reported on the leaks.

“I hope this [report] helps people see what’s going on,” Downie said in an interview.

“People can see Trump’s attacks on the press, but not really know their impact” or scope, he said. “You can be aware of the drip, drip, drip of this every day, but not see the whole picture, which is shocking.”

Trump’s habit of telling “the same lies over and over again” combined with conservative lawmakers’ efforts to restrict voting rights raise doubts about whether the November election will be conducted fairly amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downie said.

Public attitudes toward the media have remained generally stable during Trump’s presidency, although public-opinion polls have shown a deepening partisan split, with self-identified Republicans far more likely to express distrust in news reporting than Democrats.

This split was reflected in a Pew Research Center survey about the virus in mid-March: At a time when Trump was still minimizing the risks of the pandemic, only 33 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said the outbreak was a major threat to the health of the U.S. population, compared with 59 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.

The report says the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department are among the federal departments and agencies whose websites have been scrubbed of information about several controversial subjects, such as climate change, corporate taxation, the Affordable Care Act and LGBTQ issues. At the same time, less information is available online about officials’ schedules and visitors to the White House and cabinet departments, it said.

The report documents a series of attacks by Trump or his administration against the owners of media organizations in an apparent attempt to punish them for unfavorable coverage.

NBC’s Peter Alexander asked Trump to reassure Americans about coronavirus. Trump berated him instead.

In May 2018, for example, The Post reported that Trump had urged the U.S. Postal Service to double the rate it charges Amazon and other firms to ship packages, a move that appeared to be aimed at Amazon’s founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, who owns The Post through a company separate from Amazon.

Trump was also critical last year of Amazon as the Pentagon was about to award a $10 billion cloud-computing contract. After the contract was awarded to Microsoft, Amazon filed a formal protest, saying Trump’s “repeated public and behind-the-scenes attacks” on Amazon had swung the contract to Microsoft.

What’s more, Trump has threatened to remove the broadcast licenses of TV station owners, such as NBC, after critical news reports, and made multiple statements critical of AT&T as it was seeking to acquire Time Warner, the parent of CNN. His Justice Department subsequently challenged the merger, arguing that the company should be required to sell the part of Time Warner that operates CNN as a condition for approval of the deal. Two federal courts rejected the argument, clearing the way for the merger.

Trump’s deployment of the term “fake news” has encouraged authoritarian leaders in other countries to invoke the same phrase to justify press restrictions in their countries, the report said.

It noted that between January 2017 and May 2019, 26 countries enacted or introduced laws or rules restricting online media and journalistic access in the name of preventing “fake news.” The leaders of Poland, Hungary, Turkey, China, the Philippines and Cambodia are among those who have cited Trump and “fake news” to criticize or restrict the press in their countries.

How breaking news got panelized: On cable, journalists and pundits increasingly share space.

While the report primarily focuses on Trump, it also offered some criticism of the American news media. It said news organizations have contributed to a blurring of the lines between fact and opinions by mixing opinion, analysis and conventional reporting in articles and in cable TV panel discussions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/new-study-says-trump-has-dangerously-undermined-truth-with-attacks-on-news-media/2020/04/15/4152f81c-7f2d-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html

 

The organization made nine recommendations to the Trump administration, including that it refrain from “delegitimizing or discrediting” journalists, “not least during a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

These articles are hilarious!!! "Dangerously undermined truth." Does that mean "He's not lying but we don't like what he says?"

[homersapien 11,812]

7 hours ago, Grumps said:

These articles are hilarious!!! "Dangerously undermined truth." Does that mean "He's not lying but we don't like what he says?"

No, it means exactly what it says- he is hiding, concealing or otherwise dangerously undermining the truth.

Whether or not you "like" it is totally irrelevant as far as facts are concerned.  Or to put it another way, you can choose your own opinion but you cannot choose your own facts.  That you don't seem to understand that is rather alarming.

(And you need to point out what was "hilarious!!!".)

[Grumps 3,706]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

No, it means exactly what it says- he is hiding, concealing or otherwise dangerously undermining the truth.

Whether or not you "like" it is totally irrelevant as far as facts are concerned.  Or to put it another way, you can choose your own opinion but you cannot choose your own facts.  That you don't seem to understand that is rather alarming.

(And you need to point out what was "hilarious!!!".)

The article says that Trump questioning the media here is endangering freedom of the press in other countries. Does that mean that Trump shouldn't question the press? What if they are peddling a complete fabrication?

What is hilarious to me is that you seem to highly value the opinions expressed in the articles you post.

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

Jennifer Rubin, of the vaunted WaPo, has written opinion peace regarding Trumps toll of unnecessary deaths from the Coronavirus.  She tweeted:  “[T]he Trump toll, when we are done, will likely include tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, massive unemployment, trillions of dollars more in debt and trillions of dollars in lost wealth not to mention emotional hardship and educational disruption,” tweeted Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin in a tweet promoting her latest op-ed.

Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), responded:  

Crenshaw responded in a thread that begins emphatically: “STOP. REWRITING. HISTORY.”

“Instead of attempting to spin the public into a hateful, frightened frenzy, let’s try reporting some facts with the correct context,” he wrote. Crenshaw then offered a version of what he suggested would be a more fair and accurate summary of what actually took place over the last few months.

On March 3rd, the day after you claim Trump should have shut our economy down, this is how the WHO downplayed the virus:  “COVID-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick”

Would the America public really have accepted millions of jobs destroyed for a virus that had infected just 102 people by March 2? Especially considering Italy would not lock down until March 10th, Spain on March 14th, and the UK on March 23? A bit of context is in order here.

I want to respond to this particular comment: “Because we did not act earlier to ramp up testing at a massive scale and prepare our health-care system, social distancing — shutting down most of the economy — was required.”

Not sure where the magic COVID-19 testing switch is. The truth is that long-standing regulations – in place for decades – prevented us from doing so. [links to PolitiFact report finding FDA regulations did slow testing]

Additionally, you falsely state that social distancing should have been a “last resort.” But this has no basis in fact. Experts have long said flattening the curve via social distancing is the only way to prevent the initial case spike that would overwhelm hospitals.

First, you argue that we should have shut down the economy weeks before we did. Then, you argue that the shut down, resulting job loss, and economic devastation are his fault too. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways.

Your analysis makes it seem like our government deliberately decided not to buy more PPE. The truth is there was a global production shortage when China began stopping exports, and demand soared. This is still happening.

While you argue that Trump ignored early warning signs, you ignore the headlines that ran on the pages of your paper in January and February. Here are a couple: [includes screenshots from The Washington Post]

When it’s all said and done, this bad-faith analysis isn’t fact-based and lacks important context. Hating Trump is not an excuse for lazy argumentation and emotional reasoning. Now, more than ever, we need critical thinking and productive deliberation.

This example is why a lot of people feel Trump isn’t undermining the truth, he is trying to get people to read past the liberal bias media to find the truth.  The Washington Post, where democracy dies with the liberal elitist journalists.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/dan-crenshaw-dismantles-wapo-writers-attempt-to-rewrite-history-on-trumps-coronavirus-response

[aubiefifty 17,492]

trump is the biggest liar in the history of american politics. prove me wrong.

[homersapien 11,812]

1 hour ago, Grumps said:

The article says that Trump questioning the media here is endangering freedom of the press in other countries. Does that mean that Trump shouldn't question the press? What if they are peddling a complete fabrication?

What is hilarious to me is that you seem to highly value the opinions expressed in the articles you post.

First, you sound like a mindless Trump sycophant.  He is not a victim of "fake news"

And if I didn't value the opinions of the authors I post, I wouldn't post them. (I assumed that would be obvious.)

And please, enough with "begging the question" comments.  It's tiresome for me and makes you look rather stupid.

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mccain-to-trump-stop-aiding-world-dictators-with-fake-news-attacks

McCain to Trump: Stop Aiding World Dictators With ‘Fake News’ Attacks

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Tuesday called out President Trump for his “unrelenting attacks” on the press in an op-ed for The Washington Post, saying he’s aiding dictators worldwide by putting the crosshairs on journalists. “Whether Trump knows it or not,” McCain wrote, his constant cry of “fake news” directed at “reporters and news outlets whose coverage he disagrees with” is being used by repressive regimes to crack down on the media. Referencing a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, McCain noted that 21 instances of journalists being charged for “fake news” were recorded in 2017. “The phrase ‘fake news’—granted legitimacy by an American president—is being used by autocrats to silence reporters, undermine political opponents, stave off media scrutiny and mislead citizens,” McCain wrote. He went on to slam the Trump administration for condemning violence against journalists abroad while Trump “continues his unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets.”

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/world/europe/trump-fake-news-dictators.html

Fake News,’ Trump’s Obsession, Is Now a Cudgel for Strongmen

 

https://www.politico.eu/blogs/on-media/2018/07/donald-trump-fake-news-rhetoric-crops-up-around-the-globe-media-social-media-foreign-affairs/

Trump’s ‘fake news’ rhetoric crops up around the globe

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/12/trump-fake-news-dictators/548414/

From Trump's Twitter Feed to Dictators' Mouths

A partial list of the world leaders taking their cues from the U.S. president’s fight with the press

 

There's lot's more.  Just search "Fake News used by dictators"

 

 

[aubiefifty 17,492]

i love it when some of you facepalm like we don't get it when in reality you have nothing to defend your opinion with. anyone that does not think trump is one hell of a liar i would imagine is one hell of a stupid individual................again prove me wrong.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

3 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Jennifer Rubin, of the vaunted WaPo, has written opinion peace regarding Trumps toll of unnecessary deaths from the Coronavirus.  She tweeted:  “[T]he Trump toll, when we are done, will likely include tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, massive unemployment, trillions of dollars more in debt and trillions of dollars in lost wealth not to mention emotional hardship and educational disruption,” tweeted Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin in a tweet promoting her latest op-ed.

Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), responded:  

Crenshaw responded in a thread that begins emphatically: “STOP. REWRITING. HISTORY.”

“Instead of attempting to spin the public into a hateful, frightened frenzy, let’s try reporting some facts with the correct context,” he wrote. Crenshaw then offered a version of what he suggested would be a more fair and accurate summary of what actually took place over the last few months.

On March 3rd, the day after you claim Trump should have shut our economy down, this is how the WHO downplayed the virus:  “COVID-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick”

Would the America public really have accepted millions of jobs destroyed for a virus that had infected just 102 people by March 2? Especially considering Italy would not lock down until March 10th, Spain on March 14th, and the UK on March 23? A bit of context is in order here.

I want to respond to this particular comment: “Because we did not act earlier to ramp up testing at a massive scale and prepare our health-care system, social distancing — shutting down most of the economy — was required.”

Not sure where the magic COVID-19 testing switch is. The truth is that long-standing regulations – in place for decades – prevented us from doing so. [links to PolitiFact report finding FDA regulations did slow testing]

Additionally, you falsely state that social distancing should have been a “last resort.” But this has no basis in fact. Experts have long said flattening the curve via social distancing is the only way to prevent the initial case spike that would overwhelm hospitals.

First, you argue that we should have shut down the economy weeks before we did. Then, you argue that the shut down, resulting job loss, and economic devastation are his fault too. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways.

Your analysis makes it seem like our government deliberately decided not to buy more PPE. The truth is there was a global production shortage when China began stopping exports, and demand soared. This is still happening.

While you argue that Trump ignored early warning signs, you ignore the headlines that ran on the pages of your paper in January and February. Here are a couple: [includes screenshots from The Washington Post]

When it’s all said and done, this bad-faith analysis isn’t fact-based and lacks important context. Hating Trump is not an excuse for lazy argumentation and emotional reasoning. Now, more than ever, we need critical thinking and productive deliberation.

This example is why a lot of people feel Trump isn’t undermining the truth, he is trying to get people to read past the liberal bias media to find the truth.  The Washington Post, where democracy dies with the liberal elitist journalists.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/dan-crenshaw-dismantles-wapo-writers-attempt-to-rewrite-history-on-trumps-coronavirus-response

And this further shows that the American people are stupid.  As you mentioned, it's defined as an opinion piece.  It's not meant to be news.

His questioning of actual reporting is what is troubling.  The above is not reporting nor was it intended to be.  The fact that Americans don't know the difference is beyond sad.

[jj3jordan 2,125]

All the reporters have to do is report on him truthfully and honestly and all will be fine. 
 

Liar?  Obama is a liar...prove me wrong!

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

24 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

And this further shows that the American people are stupid.  As you mentioned, it's defined as an opinion piece.  It's not meant to be news.

His questioning of actual reporting is what is troubling.  The above is not reporting nor was it intended to be.  The fact that Americans don't know the difference is beyond sad.

People hear these opinions and take it as gospel and that IS sad.  Yet people on both side rely on these opinion pieces to sway the OPINION of the American people.  If someone like Crenshaw doesn’t bring another opinion, in context, to these type of opinion pieces they can be pretty damaging to the truth.  Otherwise known as FAKE NEWS.

The media has enjoyed a period where what they have said is taken at face value by most of America because of the trust they built up over the years.  It started to fall apart, IMO, when sensationalism and getting the story out first was the main focus, not verifiable news.  Russia, Russia, Russia showed what the media was all about.

[aubiefifty 17,492]

13 minutes ago, jj3jordan said:

All the reporters have to do is report on him truthfully and honestly and all will be fine. 
 

Liar?  Obama is a liar...prove me wrong!

hey.............the one thing trump actually beat obama on is lying. and if he is not lying he is sueing people from releasing the truth..............  lol

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

i love it when some of you facepalm like we don't get it when in reality you have nothing to defend your opinion with. anyone that does not think trump is one hell of a liar i would imagine is one hell of a stupid individual................again prove me wrong.

The reason I facepalmed you is because the subject was not about Trump lying, it was about the media feeling the truth is undermined when Trump says FAKE NEWS.  There are people in the media that have difficulty with printing the truth without editorializing while doing so.  Sometimes it is difficult to know the difference.

[aubiefifty 17,492]

Just now, I_M4_AU said:

The reason I facepalmed you is because the subject was not about Trump lying, it was about the media feeling the truth is undermined when Trump says FAKE NEWS.  There are people in the media that have difficulty with printing the truth without editorializing while doing so.  Sometimes it is difficult to know the difference.

while i will agree there are news article about trump that are bogus there are also times when trump has lied about the media and fake news when he gets caught. many times in fact. so to me they are in the same discussion.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

39 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

People hear these opinions and take it as gospel and that IS sad.  Yet people on both side rely on these opinion pieces to sway the OPINION of the American people.  If someone like Crenshaw doesn’t bring another opinion, in context, to these type of opinion pieces they can be pretty damaging to the truth.  Otherwise known as FAKE NEWS.

The media has enjoyed a period where what they have said is taken at face value by most of America because of the trust they built up over the years.  It started to fall apart, IMO, when sensationalism and getting the story out first was the main focus, not verifiable news.  Russia, Russia, Russia showed what the media was all about.

That is not what "Fake News" is and it never has been. The fact that the term has been absconded from it's original meaning is also disturbing.

Fake News is literally what it sounds like....non-factual news articles being passed off as real.  Russia especially exploited the proliferation of Fake News.

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

26 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

That is not what "Fake News" is and it never has been. The fact that the term has been absconded from it's original meaning is also disturbing.

Fake News is literally what it sounds like....non-factual news articles being passed off as real.  Russia especially exploited the proliferation of Fake News.

The Steele Dossier was all fake and it was presented as news, I guess this is what you are referencing here?  Opinions can be based upon Fake News articles (it happened for three years) what would this phenomenon be called?

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

7 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

The Steele Dossier was all fake and it was presented as news, I guess this is what you are referencing here?  Opinions can be based upon Fake News articles (it happened for three years) what would this phenomenon be called?

The Steele Dossier was presented as an intelligence document.  Get your facts straight.

See the below.  A pretty good synopsis of what Fake News actually is, it's genesis, and how politicians have skewed the term to confuse the public for their own means.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-42724320

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

15 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

The Steele Dossier was presented as an intelligence document.  Get your facts straight.

See the below.  A pretty good synopsis of what Fake News actually is, it's genesis, and how politicians have skewed the term to confuse the public for their own means.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-42724320

Ahhhh, so a Steele Dossier, that was never verified, and the basis of FISA warrants was not fake when it came out, but proven it was fake, so it’s not fake news?

There is evidence Steele told the DOJ in July, and the State Department in October, about all of these flaws in his work, and that State officials even detected blatant inaccuracies in his intelligence. If so, all of that information should have been flagged by the FBI as potentially derogatory information weighing against Steele’s use as a source for the FISA warrant.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/453384-fbis-spreadsheet-puts-a-stake-through-the-heart-of-steeles-dossier

This Dossier was first published by buzzfeed of all publications and nobody verified it and it mushroomed.  It was presented as an intelligence document for a very suspect source that only the uninitiated would believe.  It was Fake News when it hit the main stream.  Some people still believe it.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

6 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Ahhhh, so a Steele Dossier, that was never verified, and the basis of FISA warrants was not fake when it came out, but proven it was fake, so it’s not fake news?

There is evidence Steele told the DOJ in July, and the State Department in October, about all of these flaws in his work, and that State officials even detected blatant inaccuracies in his intelligence. If so, all of that information should have been flagged by the FBI as potentially derogatory information weighing against Steele’s use as a source for the FISA warrant.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/453384-fbis-spreadsheet-puts-a-stake-through-the-heart-of-steeles-dossier

This Dossier was first published by buzzfeed of all publications and nobody verified it and it mushroomed.  It was presented as an intelligence document for a very suspect source that only the uninitiated would believe.  It was Fake News when it hit the main stream.  Some people still believe it.

The Dossier was GIVEN TO THE FBI AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND USED FOR FISA WARRANTS THAT WERE GRANTED!  At that point, it's newsworthy and deserving of coverage.  I'm sorry you don't like that, but too damn bad.

And parts of it have been verified.  Others have been refuted.

But you are showing that you still don't understand the actual definition of Fake News, proving once again that the average American is fricking stupid.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,419]

9 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

But you are showing that you still don't understand the actual definition of Fake News, proving once again that the average American is fricking stupid.

I work retail and could’ve told you that. I’d also add helpless. Lot of dumb people milling around out there. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 minute ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

I work retail and could’ve told you that. I’d also add helpless. Lot of dumb people milling around out there. 

Oh one thing I learned a long time ago in journalism school:

There's a reason newspapers have been written on an 8th grade level for many years.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,419]

23 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Oh one thing I learned a long time ago in journalism school:

There's a reason newspapers have been written on an 8th grade level for many years.

Congratulations, your post hits on every react I could give you. 

[I_M4_AU 8,600]

50 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

The Dossier was GIVEN TO THE FBI AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND USED FOR FISA WARRANTS THAT WERE GRANTED!  At that point, it's newsworthy and deserving of coverage.  I'm sorry you don't like that, but too damn bad.

And parts of it have been verified.  Others have been refuted.

But you are showing that you still don't understand the actual definition of Fake News, proving once again that the average American is fricking stupid.

So, when it was given to the FBI and Congress, they don’t have the obligation to vet the information before asking for a FISA Warrant?  It was suspect from the beginning, but no one did their due diligence. Did you miss the part where there were multiple errors in applying for the FISA Warrants and all of them were on the side against Trump?  Whether I like it or not doesn’t matter, what happened has happened.  Finding the truth does matter, though.

Love the bolded part; just proves the ones in media are elitist liberals that look upon the rest of us as something to disdain.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

So, when it was given to the FBI and Congress, they don’t have the obligation to vet the information before asking for a FISA Warrant?  It was suspect from the beginning, but no one did their due diligence. Did you miss the part where there were multiple errors in applying for the FISA Warrants and all of them were on the side against Trump?  Whether I like it or not doesn’t matter, what happened has happened.  Finding the truth does matter, though.

Love the bolded part; just proves the ones in media are elitist liberals that look upon the rest of us as something to disdain.

THANK YOU!  You've finally gotten something right.  It is on the FBI and Congress since they received the report.

BUT, and pay attention here, that still doesn't make it "Fake News".

Here's a great analogy for you.  In 2010, AU was being investigated about Cam.  Now of course that was in the media the entire time.  Should the media not have covered it?  The answer is of course they had every right and obligation to cover it.  Because the investigation was known to be happening and in the public domain, it was therefore newsworthy.  It doesn't make it "Fake News".  It makes it a developing story.

And I haven't been in the news media for a long time.  Quite frankly it wasn't lucrative enough for me to stick around.  The pay is low and the hours are insane.  I just have a large disdain for many people in general.  People, as a whole, are not that bright.

[alexava 6,974]

Pizza gate was the first time I recall hearing the term “fake news”. And that is the definition of fake news. Because of the orange man, anything   people don’t like or don’t agree with is wrongfully deemed fake news. The word “hoax” has also gained alternative meanings lately.