Webster defines "fake" as: Not true, real, or genuine.
I'm sure over time many politicians, celebrities, and others have called unflattering stories written about them "fake". Occasionally they were right, and they sued for defamation, and were awarded millions of dollars in damages. National Enquirer-type grocery store tabloids are notorious for this. Occasionally articles are published that are simply satirical. Stories in The Onion fall into this category. (Tom Cruise did not have a love child with a three-headed alien.) The editorial page is by definition not news, but opinion. The two should not be confused. And occasionally photos are mislabeled....John D. Smith might be referred to as John B. Smith, and an apology and a correction are later published. Mistakes happen....meh.
Today President Donald Trump has made "FAKE NEWS" his battle cry, and his supporters buy it, no questions asked. I contend there is virtually no fake news these days, but only slanted news. If a media outlet such as FOX News on the right or MSNBC on the left uncovers 10 facts about someone, but only reports on the 5 that support their view, that doesn't make those 5 facts "fake". You can't label what they report as not true, real, or genuine. They just aren't reporting those facts that give credit to something that doesn't further their bias. Their coverage is simply "slanted".
If the media makes up a story with no basis in fact, they can be sued and they'll lose their shirt. That's why they corroborate everything they publish. The next time you hear President Trump say a report about him is fake news, ask him why he doesn't file suit and make them prove what they say is true? Put up or shut up.
I have great admiration in general for American journalism. Without them and their investigative talents, evil-doers would run roughshod over us. I might disagree with them sometime, but I respect them.
I guess you could say, ironically, that a blanket claim of "fake news" is itself fake news. That's the "virtual" caveat I mentioned. That's kinda funny, huh?
S
Speaking of, there was a lot of fake news yesterday about the massacre in Maryland, Fox "News" especially assuming it was political when it was just a crazy guy getting revenge for a story about him stalking a woman, which he sued over and lost. But until the shooter was identified there was a lot of blaming people like Milo Yannpopoulis (sp?), Maxine Waters, etc. I guess TV doesn't vet its stories as well as newspapers.
ReplyDeleteIf they prefaced it as their "assumption", or as a question, then that is not hard news. You've got to be careful and listen for all their qualifiers. Most people don't, and this is how they cover their ass.
DeleteGood post, accurate and timely.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for earlier grumpy posts, some health issues I could blame, but afraid I'm just a bastard at times. Take care.
Mike
You do know how to get to my blog, don't you?
Hi Mike...hope you're doing well. Your blog? No...details please.
Deletehttp://memoirsofacardiopulmonaryguy.blogspot.com/
DeleteHe has also labeled the press the "enemy of the people."
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... where have we seen that before in history?
These days, it's tempting to just ignore ALL news...just to maintain sanity. I decided NPR and foreign news agencies are the best bet.
ReplyDelete