Newseum pulls ‘fake news’ T-shirts from gift shop
The Newseum in Washington, which caused a stir Friday after reports it was selling a T-shirt reading “You Are Very Fake News,” announced Saturday it was pulling the shirts from its gift shop and online store.
“We made a mistake and we apologize,” reads a statement on the website of the museum dedicated to press freedom. “A free press is an essential part of our democracy and journalists are not the enemy of the people.”
“Fake news,” of course, has become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump and his supporters, who contend that the news media presents a distorted view of the president and his administration and fabricates facts. He has repeatedly called the press the “enemy of the people.”
“Real news wins!” was the response Saturday from Jim Acosta, the chief White House correspondent for CNN. When Acosta, who has been a frequent target of the president and his allies, heard Friday about the shirts at the Newseum, he said, “If they’re that strapped for cash, I’m happy to make a donation.”
The Newseum has struggled financially since it opened its new home on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008, besieged by crippling debt and an expensive building in a city full of free museums. Merchandising has provided a crucial income flow.
So in addition to the “Fake News” T-shirt, there’s a coloring book that depicts Trump as a superhero and a red “Make America Great Again” hat. Those hats, and FBI hats, are the biggest sellers, Sonya Gavankar, the director of public relations for the museum, said Friday.
In its statement Saturday, the Newseum noted that although questions had been raised about gift items beyond the shirt, “we’ve historically made all types of political merchandise available.”
“That has included former and current presidential slogans and imagery and merchandise from all political parties,” the statement concluded.
Gavankar had described the shirts the same way, as a celebration of free speech. She was not available for comment Saturday.
“As a nonpartisan organization, people with differing viewpoints feel comfortable visiting the Newseum, and one of our greatest strengths is that we’re champions not only of a free press but also of free speech,” she said.