Nearly three out of every four Americans (72 percent) surveyed last week said “traditional major news sources report news they know to be fake, false or purposely misleading” at least some of the time. Axios commissioned the story and gave it a bad headline on an otherwise fine article.
Although the question dealt with not just fake but also purposely misleading news and though the overwhelming majority of Americans expressed concern, the headline was “92 percent of Republicans think media intentionally reports fake news.”
Making “fake news” a Republican-only issue when it was reported a concern of 72 percent of all Americans, including a majority of Democrats and a whopping 79 percent of Independents, is itself an example of how the media report news in a misleading fashion. The manner of reporting might also explain why Republicans are more likely than Democrats to witness purposely misleading news reports, much less be frustrated by them.
On Thursday, Wendi Winters, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Rebecca Smith, and Rob Hiaasen were murdered at their Annapolis newspaper by a man who had carried an intense grudge against the publication for its accurate reporting on his criminal harassment conviction in 2011. The mass shooting, which injured two others, led to speculation by many that the motive was anger at the perception of politically biased news. Various journalists and other members of the resistance began tweeting that President Donald Trump had “blood on his hands” since he has harshly and regularly condemned “fake news” and its purveyors.
One White House reporter was even more direct:
This week we also saw prominent Democratic politicians call for mobs to publicly threaten those with whom they have political disagreement, but somehow reporters didn’t wonder whether Rep. Maxine Waters or other members of the Resistance were to blame for the Annapolis shooting.
We also didn’t see them wonder if the media’s harsh treatment of Republicans led to the mass assassination attempt on a baseball field filled with Republican senators and members of Congress last June. They also didn’t wonder if anti-police rhetoric led to the targeted murders of various policemen in recent years. The blame game seems to work one way with traditional media sources.
So, making a report on “fake news” fake news. Irony, is guess, is totally lost on the left.
It wasn’t speculation; it was a conscious effort to utilize yet another tragedy for political benefit. This comes as no surprise whatsoever; liberals REVEL at this. No doubt they began salivating as soon as the first report came out.
One thing I’m sure the left is livid about is the fact that a shotgun was used instead of a weapon more useful to them and their propaganda. The liberal media has done all it can to endanger the lives of Republicans, Trump supporters and conservatives. Now, when tragedy befalls some of their own, they worry about uncivil rhetoric. As usual, the wrong people suffered for liberal malfeasance.
The shooter lost a court case to the newspaper years before Trump was even on the political radar.
Then, over many years he obsessed and stewed about that court loss.
Finally, he acted on his irrational hatred and killed 5 people with a shotgun.
Trump had nothing to do with it.
At all.
If anything, we see yet another case of a person who scared his potential victims enough to call police and beg for help.
The police refused to act, but by the day of the shooting, he’d been on their radar for a long time.
I think we need to fix our communication between our radar readers and our peacekeepers.
There’s a problem there.
@Nanny G: Aw, cmon. Don’t let truth and facts get in the way of political exploitation. What would liberals have without it?
It wasnt an AR, next default
Trump’s frequent irresponsible comments, personal attacks, constant defamation of his enemies, and constant placing of blame are contributing to an atmosphere that is steadily increasing the likelihood of violent outburst by those who are already mentally unstable. It’s entirely deliberate. He promotes confusion and anger because he can exploit them to his advantage. That is a totally obvious fact. Anyone who doesn’t see this is blind.
@Greg:
Typically liberal. Absolutely textbook liberal. Despite the fact that this nut had a six year, threat-riddled grudge against the paper, you can’t resist the urge to LIE. You KNOW Trump had nothing whatsoever to do with the motivation for this shooting.
Further, YOU know it has been the left… the bitter, whiny, sore loser, crybaby left… that has been promoting and resorting to violence. No one else, only the left because they don’t trust the Constitution and electoral process of choosing our leaders. You on the left think it should be done in the Hillary/DNC process where the big money chooses the candidate and, if at all possible, the winner.
You happily accept Maxine Mad Bitch Waters as your poster child for hypocrisy. She advocates gangs gather and attack members of Trump’s administration but when a mob forms at HER house, she whines and blubbers about being the poor, poor victim.
Trump has threatened no one that has not attacked him. You pussy-ass liberals are up against a foe you aren’t used to; one that fights back. I don’t think you’re ready for that.
These journalists (and I am using that term loosely) only need to look at their headlines and stories. They not only condone, they encourage violence.
@Deplorable Me, #6:
Nowhere have I voiced the opinion that Jarrod Ramos’s actions were motivated by his political views. We don’t even know what his political views were.
What I did say, in post #5, was something else entirely, and I stand by that observation. Trump is stirring up contempt for and anger toward the press because he doesn’t like what they’re saying about him. He has eliminated reason from political discourse. He’s widening every national division and promoting an atmosphere of hostility. There are a lot of mentally unstable people who hang on his every word. That increases the likelihood of violence.
Want evidence? Look at some of the posts that are appearing around here lately—not that you’re likely to acknowledge what you’re looking at. I’m not sure you even recognize it. Trump has reset the standard for what sounds crazy.
Here’s the sort of opinion piece that passes muster on the right. No doubt its tone and would meet with the approval of the man who’s constantly berating the press and demonizing democrats and liberals.
@Greg: #8
Are you delusional? (Yes)
“He’s widening every national division and promoting an atmosphere of hostility.”
It’s the leftists that are doing this – hundreds of them, all over the web and media, including national figures like Obama and Waters.
In the field of ignoring the beam in your own eye, you, Greg, are the master.
@Greg:
Because they are LYING. When they LIE, he punches back. The lies have caused faith in the MSM to plummet. But, does the media learn a lesson? No, they continue to LIE. They also help promote the violence the left has resolved is their only way to ever gain power again. And IF they got ahold of power again, their violent rhetoric exposes exactly what they would do, as if Obama’s behavior wasn’t enough of a primer.
Speaking of an absolute, willful and total inability to acknowledge facts, you pretend the retaliatory comments simply appear out of a vacuum. So, I wonder, what is the point of discussing this issue with such a willfully ignorant individual? You won’t acknowledge what your party is peddling even when showered… DELUGED… with the evidence. No wonder you believe the myth of the 33,000 emails….
You’ll have to describe your particular problem with that article. It is absolutely true. Trump enforces immigration law… the left is outraged, even though Obama separated tens of thousands of more children than Trump did. A Supreme Court Justice announces retirement and the left goes ballistic with rhetoric about how many people will be killed if Trump picks the replacement. Trump states, accurately and backed up by data, that criminals come into our country along with illegal immigrants and the left goes nuts, distorting his remarks to have said ALL illegal immigrants are rapists and murderers. Trump states that MS-13, a gang Obama allowed into the country that tortures, dismembers and murders people and the left erupts in faux outrage. Do you actually think people don’t NOTICE all this crap? Again, Republicans and conservatives are not as stupid as liberals are or as they think everyone else is.
So, explain the parts of that article that is inaccurate.