An acquaintance recently posted on his Facebook page, an article by a pundit, Andrew Klavan, of PragerU. Klavan’s premise states that our “left leaning” as he calls them, mainstream media are all “fake news”. This premise is unequivocally and dangerously wrong! This claim follows the ranting of lord Trump as regards his own hideous “fake news” claims against “left” mainstream media, most lately CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS. Of course Trumps list changes weekly depending upon who is standing up against his loathsome behavior but generally, always, “left” news sources.
This claim of “fake news” is ludicrous; unequivocally not true!
I do agree that all news organizations have some level of leaning. Frankly, there is no way that cannot be as each journalist and every organization are made up by individuals who are a part of We the People. But Trump and his Trumpites suggestion appears to be morphing the very meaning of the term “fake” to mean something to do with majority political leaning and particularly, any organization or reporter who says something not agreeable to Trump. I believe that is Classic, Conway, Alternate.
The reality is fake is simply – making, false, statements! Here is Miriam-Webster attempt to define “fake news” – “the printing and dissemination of spurious news.”
All our mainstream news sources have produced a false story on occasion; in other words, a story that was intended as correct but whose sources of proof or support, ended up not being credible. Another way to false story is when words come out wrong or a thought is written incorrectly. There are many restatements and clarifications by our mainstream news each month. Sometimes a story must be updated because new information comes to light. When this happens main stream news organizations quickly and tritely retract, or restate, informing their reader or viewer base, of the error, omission, or update. Sometimes the news organization may take further corrective action – such as in the case of “sloppy” journalism. This was CNN misfortune this last week but certainly not the first time such an event has occurred – nor the last.
| FOX News had something very similar last November, when their main anchor, Bret Baier, directly reported that FOX News had a source inside the FBI , which source told Mr. Baier, that Hillary was about to be indicted! That was less than one week before we voted!! Remember that? Three days later Bret and FOX retracted the story in a statement, saying that the story was unfounded – in error. |  |
Do these CNN or FOX News errors mean these two are “fake news”? I say NO WAY! I did not call FOX News fake over that nor do I think of CNN as “fake news” over an occasional error. FOX may lean, perhaps harder than their counterparts, but their summary news feed, in particular Chris Wallace, are not “fake news”. CNN may lean but I know they are trying to cover the whole news. That does not make them “fake news”.
The blogger/pundit, Klavan whom I mentioned above, specifically makes a claim that our three oldest (older than Trump) and most trusted news sources, ABC, NBC, and CBS are “fake news”. This is fool-hardy and dangerous. It is also very much in line with what Trump and his followers have been trying to get We, to come to believe, for over a year now. Discredit the most credible and critical of our information providers; Trump wants us all to think that he alone, is the bearer of all truth and news!
I also want to point out something as regards the leanings (opinions) of our news organizations vs. the term “mainstream news”. Opine Journalism is not the same as “fake news” but is often not called News Reporting either. Among the six organizations mentioned by Klavan – FOX News, CNN, msNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC, one and only one did not have the courage, the integrity, the balance, the fair-minded objectiveness to provide coverage of both party conventions last summer 2016. All the other mainstream media on that list showed both conventions and each news source, including CNN, spun each convention in a positive light. Does FOX not showing both conventions or om mitting other news worthy pieces cry “fake news”? Of course not! It does call into the discussion, the meaning of the term “mainstream news” but as a news and journalistic source, FOX was not and is not, required to show the DNC convention or any other story during prime time.
Which brings me to a sad but true, reality. There is only one major source that with intentional, malicious intent – regularly lies to all of us. He has been disproved time and time and time again, but never, ever apologizes, rarely as a lotto win admits his deceit, or that he is wrong. He continues his despicable behavior, daily, as if all is righteous and justified.
This supreme, alpha-male character who daily, so bombards us with his constant tirade of flatulent fiction; has a name. The “FAKE MAN” is – #lordZodTrump!!
Trump has what is called narcissistic personality disorder. Do many Trumpites also have this disorder or is it that Trumpites are so spun up in “they won”, that they have forgotten that it was the booby-prize that became their man. Now they must stay anamored with “the win” and so, are following lordZodTrump, right down into the depths of the swamp.
| I cannot even begin to suggest how dangerous it is to support a leader who considers himself better than all others, the bearer of all truth, the greatest gift to women in man’s history, and that “he alone can fix everything”. |  |
Trump jumped on that FOX band wagon last November, praising FOX News for their great reporting of the Hillary indictment. He suggested that he too, knew the story to be unequivocally true but when FOX came out and said it was a false story, three days later, Trump did not slam them or call FOX “fake news”. In fact Trump suggested that FOX News erred in stating that the story was false and retracting it!
Ever wonder why the National Enquirer is called a “Tabloid Publisher”? This is by the way, one of Trumps favorite sources of information? The term tabloid is affixed to a journalistic organization who regularly publishes – false, outright ridiculous, unproven, rubbish. In other words, BUYER BEWARE, turn off your reality cap. Our mainstream media are so much higher status and credibility than tabloids, yet it seems that Trump and his minions of support want to try and tell us they are all the same.
That any Trumpite dares to accuse any one of our oldest three networks, ABC, CBS, or NBC of being “fake news” or of being tabloids is flat disgusting wrong. The newer CNN and FOX News are also mainstream and credible, though perhaps more opine. Is it any wonder that as Trump’s “fav” source of info is a tabloid, that he would want and therefore rationalize them all to be lowered to same status? Just the same, Trump and Trumpite rhetoric discrediting our news is deplorable, offensive, and inexcusable. Statements that try to assassinate our prime news organizations and coerce them into Trump submission are the most dangerous, caustic aversions to each and every American, to our way of life, and to our system of government. To undermine our trusted news resources, instead of validating and checking them, is to expunge freedom of speech and elevate controlled, filtered, censored – news.
We the People must avoid at all expense, the chewy chunks of censorship and discrediting of our oldest and most proven credible news providers. We cannot allow Trump or his Trumpite deplorables to infect and therefore, affect us into submission whereby we excuse intentional filtering of our news.
—– references —–
Miriam-Webster Definition of Fake News
PragerU Article by Andrew Klavan
Andrew Klavan Article as it Appears on Facebook
CNN Retraction of Article – June 2017
FOX News Retraction of Article – Nov 2016
PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter – fact checks ** this is my own fav because Politifact takes statements made and validates the truthfulness of the claim, in full reader view – BECOME INFORMED!!
—– a few of the claims by Andrew Klavan —–
His primary reasoning is that since the “left media” has 10-times the viewer base of the “right media” (FOX News); therefore, the left must be “fake news”.
Klavan stated that the “tea-party is not racist”. This is not true of the current, racist infested tea-party. The original tea-party movement, which started during the GW Bush Presidency, was very concerned with taxes and fiscal government. When Obama was elected, the tea-party became a new entity, full of radical GOP conservatives and was also infested by – racist elements (Arpaio, Tancredo, even David Duke, etc.). There Obama years, post 2009 objective was one – discredit and remove Barrack Obama. This movement, which was backed by the Koch Brothers – major GOP donors, became what we all know today, as the Party of NO.
White cop shooting black males is much lower than stated by “fake news”.
His point about Representative R-Nunes is slothful and ridiculous. That it is somehow okay or irrelevant that the head of the Russia-Trump investigation (R-Nunes) secretly collects facts for the investigation he is leading, from the man who is being investigated (Trump) – is a haha moment!! That Klavan cannot or will not see the peril in Nunes’ collusive choices and decisions – is even worse!
These are the Klavan narratives that he says, prove, the “left” media, are “fake news”.