Commentary

Trump's Fake News Awards - Should We Include His Tweets?

Don’t personalize the f-news attacks from any fearless top U.S. politician. Take the emotion out of it — dive back into a report for more truth and information.

That is the real, tough work that good TV and print media organizations do.

Many people focus on every word — or words — that President Trump says. But why? He isn’t a journalist. Just a guy with some opinions — and some lame, iffy, off-the-cuff assumptions. Sounds like the perfect arbiter of f-news awards.

With his digital media platform, the President does great work in creating more disruption, more circus. He's like a guy playing three-card Monte on the corner. He hovers over those bent playing cards and waits for the crowd’s reaction.

Keen observers know not to focus on the cards or the chatter, but instead to focus on the bigger picture. Forget about the game. Watch the card dealer’s moves and how he quickly packs up and scoots down the block.

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Some supporters love it when Trump bashes the media. New technology gives him a big platform to do it — a breeding ground for “alternative narratives,” says Chuck Todd, host of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily.” 

The good news: U.S. citizens’ awareness is now at high levels, questioning all information — from social media to cable news networks, to top U.S. public officials. Finding out what is true, and then making a sound determination, is harder to do. And it isn’t always black or white; much of political life operates in a gray zone.

Time then for a new cable news TV network — a fact-checking TV news network. We already have numerous fact-checking sites, which can admittedly create more complexity. Still, we need more checks.

Here's a positive: We are not in an authoritarian media state — yet. “The system is holding up pretty well ... there are still plenty of checks on his authority,” Matthew Continetti, editor in chief of the Washington Free Beacon, said on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily.”

Words are only a hint of what might come. And hopefully, when something is wrong, there is a mea culpa -- a ‘correction’ notice or even an apology. And not just from the media -- but from all those who use new media platforms.

Wait... You mean, any person using social media doesn’t have to issue corrections, like the traditional media does? Trust doesn’t come cheap — or fast. Solid, fact-based reporting — and quickly correcting errors or noting clarifications — is the work of serious journalists.

3 comments about "Trump's Fake News Awards - Should We Include His Tweets?".
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  1. John Grono from GAP Research, January 17, 2018 at 7:22 p.m.

    If Trump's tweets are included it would be a clean sweep of gold, silver and bronze.

  2. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, January 17, 2018 at 8:40 p.m.

    Could you just throw buckets of water on him and see if he melts ?

  3. Ken Kurtz from creative license, January 19, 2018 at 9:03 a.m.

    From eight years of Slick Willy, the phoenix to rise from those misogynist ashes was less slick, and less misogynistic Dubya. From eight years of not so slick, and pretty dumb (appearing, anyway) Dubya, the phoenix to rise from those "Alfred E. Neumann WHAT, ME WORRY?" ashes was cool, cerebral Obama. From eight years of "promise to reach across the aisle to get things done, but NEVER reach across the aisle to get ANYTHING done" Obama, the pheonix to rise from those ashes was less cool, less cerebral, more crass, and MUCH MORE "let's finally get things done in Washington" Trump. The always lying politicians that preceded Trump very much paved the way for Trump, and if Trump has proven anything, it's that anything that the left suggests that THEY THINK might harm him, and keep him from getting good things done to spur growth, and the economy WILL HAVE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE EFFECT. So, no. Throwing biuckets of water on Trump will not only NOT melt him, it will cause him to flourish...

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