Tennessee Republican bids to classify CNN and Washington Post as 'fake news'
A Tennessee lawmaker has introduced an amendment to a resolution that would recognize CNNand the Washington Post “as fake news” that is “part of the media wing of the Democratic party”.
The amendment read: “We recognize that fake news outlets suggest ideas without directly making accusations so that they can claim innocence from their ivory towers.”
Republican state representative Micah Van Huss of Jonesboro introduced the measure Tuesday at the state’s capital. According to local station WREG, it amends a previous joint house resolution filed last month.
The resolution cites instances throughout 2019 in which the Post staff or CNN personalities referred to Donald Trump’s supporters as a cult or “cultlike”.
It said: “We condemn them for denigrating our citizens and implying that they are weak-minded followers instead of people exercising their rights that our veterans paid for with their blood.”
Lawmakers behind the resolution also criticized the notion of a “spell Trump has cast on the Republican party” as Washington Post editor, Marc Fisher, suggested in an October editorial.
The resolution will now be debated within the state house’s subcommittee on sentencing and protections before a vote is scheduled.
Media outlets have received increasing criticism from conservatives and Trump followers over their coverage. CNN recently earned the president’s ire after host Don Lemon, along with guests, criticised Trump, Mike Pompeo and what they called “an administration defined by ignorance of the world”. One of the guests said Pompeo was “playing to [the Republican] base”.
Trump tweeted his disapproval of the segment.
Huss alluded to the segment when discussing the goal of the resolution on a local, conservative podcast. He said it “mocked Trump supporters for being rude, hayseed hicks”.
“My constituents are tired of these elitists in the media for denigrating them,” Van Huss said in the podcast. “They’re tired of Republicans who don’t fight.”
While the resolution currently has
13 co-sponsors, some fellow Republican lawmakers have called it “unnecessary” and questioned its purpose.
“I have to answer to [my district],” Republican state representative John Crawford told local station WCYB. “I think the 1st district would rather see me working on things that would bring jobs.”
According to polling data, Tennesseans voted for Donald Trump by an overwhelming majority in the 2016 US presidential election.
Huss is no stranger to sponsoring controversial bills. Earlier this month, he introduced legislation that would allow local governments to count fetuses, or what he called “unborn children”, into proportional state funding allocations.
The Guardian has contacted Van Huss’s office for comment.