Ending fake news would mean censoring the White House
Apr 3, 2018, 7:54 AM | Updated: 9:27 am
(File, Associated Press)
(File, Associated Press)
The internet has erupted over a script that news anchors at Sinclair Broadcasting’s local stations were told to read.
RELATED: TV journalist caught in the crossfire
In part, the statement reads:
“The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media … more alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories … stories that just aren’t true, without checking facts first.”
Stories that “just aren’t true” are a real problem. For example, on Monday, CBS’s Major Garret reported on the president’s statement that refugees were coming here from Central America to get DACA protection.
But new immigrants can’t take advantage of DACA, Garret points out. So any station that aired that tweet was broadcasting a fake narrative.
Another example: Since 2015, the president has been asking crowds who is going to pay for the wall? The crowds always answer Mexico. The media broadcasts it.
RELATED: You’re the victim of fake news whether you know it or not
But, as we now know, that’s the wrong answer. Mexico is not paying for the wall. In fact, the United States isn’t even paying for the wall. The $1.6 billion that Congress just approved is for a couple of stretches of fencing.
So, to stop the sharing of “stories that just aren’t true,” broadcasters would have to delay pretty much everything coming out of the White House. Which just seems un-American.
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