What a fake-out
Last Wednesday was a nailbiter for many of us here, what with the president’s “Fake News Awards” being announced.
And drat, my dress was at the cleaners. Oh, wait … you mean there wasn’t an actual ceremony, and the GOP website crashed when people tried to see who the “winners” were? Color me mildly shocked.
What impressed me that day was not the president’s rehashing of how the media ticked him off in
2017 (and I’m sure the Wall Street Journal is a lock for 2018), but how a Republican senator, Jeff Flake, stood up to the president. Because, yeah, disapproving of the sort of actions the president has undertaken—no matter who sits in the Oval Office—goes beyond party.
In a speech delivered in the Senate, Flake employed my favorite Daniel Patrick Moynihan quote: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Flake then challenged the president on his constant claims of “fake news”: “When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him ‘fake news,’ it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press.”
I’m fairly sure the president paid no attention. After all, his name was nowhere in the near-15 minute speech.
As to the “Fake News Awards,” the very first one demonstrates a lack of understanding of the difference between news and opinion. Paul Krugman’s claim that the economy wouldn’t recover from the president’s victory was, first and foremost, opinion/analysis, which is not news, though opinion columns (like this one) may be based on news events. Second, it was a prediction—again, not news. And third, Krugman retracted his prediction three days later.
Other “winners” included tweets (because apparently they’re news now) which were quickly corrected, and several mistakes by CNN and another by the New York Times that were corrected as soon as they were discovered (and in one case, those responsible for the errors resigned). ABC’s Brian Ross was also dinged after cutting corners and getting the timeline wrong on Michael Flynn and the Russia investigation; again, though, the error was corrected, and Ross was suspended and reassigned (a longer suspension wouldn’t have been out of line, if you ask me).
That’s one of the key differences between responsible media and irresponsible media (and politicians, for that matter): They make corrections to their errors.
And then there’s the “greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people.” I think we could debate that one for days, but in this case it’s supposedly Russia collusion (oh, sorry, “RUSSIA COLLUSION!” as the president said). Considering that the investigation is ongoing, and most of the reporting is on the investigation (which is real), it’s a bit premature to call it “fake news,” especially if you offer nothing to disprove it.
But that’s what we do now any time someone says something with which we disagree—yell “fake news” and maybe stamp our feet for good measure. At the same time, we forget what fake news actually is: something made up out of whole cloth (and that might have a kernel of truth buried under the fakery and misdirection). A reporting error is not fake news; shoddy journalism, yes, but not fake. Something like, oh, I dunno, protesters at Trump rallies being paid $3,500— yeah, that’s fake, complete with an ad on Craigslist put up by Paul Horner, a prolific fake-news writer.
Horner died in September, but I’m even looking at those reports with suspicion. Still, PolitiFact confirmed an investigation into his death in Maricopa County, Ariz., so …
Many fake news stories (often satire, but all warnings ignored) have some thought put into them. What we’ve seen out of this White House and hyperpartisan sources has often been falsehoods about easily proven things, like attendance at the inauguration, or the magnitude of the president’s electoral college win (still not a landslide, and it ranks 46th out of 58 elections). We’ve also seen the passing along of stories proven false, like a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch kid on crutches (the attacker was born and raised in the Netherlands, according to police, and his religion was not mentioned in the police report, though other sources maintain he’s not Muslim).
When confronted with the facts, we’ve seen that the truth isn’t necessarily a concern for some people, and that should worry us. As Flake said, “Between the mighty and the modest, truth is the great leveler.”
We as news consumers should be skeptical, not only of news sources that never correct themselves or that play fast and loose with truth, but of those people who label news they don’t like as “fake news,” especially if they threaten to change laws to enforce their vision of reality.
Senator Flake was clear on the responsibilities of the press and public officials, and I think he deserves the last word: “Any of us who have spent time in public life have endured news coverage we felt was jaded or unfair. But in our positions, to employ even idle threats to use laws or regulations to stifle criticism is corrosive to our democratic institutions. Simply put: It is the press’ obligation to uncover the truth about power. It is the people’s right to criticize their government. And it is our job to take it.”