Award season is upon us, and on Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he would be giving out some of his own.
“I will be announcing the MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock,” he wrote. “Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!”
I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
This isn’t the first time Trump has suggested awards like this. Back in Novemeber the president tweeted: “We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!”
We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017
According to The Independent, over half of Americans (51 percent) think “media coverage of political issues and events is worse than it has been in the past.”
A Gallup Poll conducted in March revealed that 62 percent of Americans believe news media favors one political party over the other, and almost two-thirds of these people say it favors the Democratic Party.
What are some of the outlets Trump specifically condemns?
If you asked the public what “fake news” was, you’d get a range of answers. Some use “fake news” to describe stories that are competely fabricated. Some use it to describe stories with, as Samantha Bee stated on an episode of “Full Frontal” in June, “erroneous predictions.”
In a March 2017 interview with FOX, Trump told Tucker Carlson: “I think that maybe I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Twitter because I get such a fake press, such a dishonest press.”
He continued on to say that because of Twitter, he can defend himself against the “fake press” and “fake media” because “it is a disgrace what’s happening.”
Trump assured Carlson he wasn’t including FOX — which has been known to promote conservative causes — under his “fake news” label because “FOX has been fair to me,” but he dropped a few names: CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC. (Trump has also pointed fingers at outlets such as MSNBC, The Washington Post and The New York Times).
NBC
“I made a fortune for NBC with ‘The Apprentice,'” Trump told Tucker in the March 2017 FOX interview. “… I was very good to NBC and they are despicable… they are despicable in their coverage.”
Trump called out NBC along with CNN and ABC for releasing polls showing Americans were not in favor of his travel ban when he first signed the executive order upon taking office, reported TIME.
Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017
The president also reacted to a story in which a reporter published two pages from Trump’s 2005 tax returns he allegedly got in the mail. Trump directly targeted NBC for reporting on this “fake news.”
Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, “went to his mailbox” and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2017
Washington Post
In December, Trump called out the Washington Post for writing that he was close to “rescinding” (read: repealing) the nomination for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch before his confirmation hearing, which the president claims wasn’t true.
A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017
ABC and CNN
Trump has also called out news outlets for having to make corrections to erroneous reporting — which only added fuel to the fire.
Trump specifically called out ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross for inaccurately stating that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had been directed to make contact with Russian officials before the election.
Following this report, ABC had Ross read a correction on air that night stating that Trump allegedly made the request after the election when he’d been named president-elect, reported Washington Post. In December, Flynn pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts.
A week later, CNN had to correct a story that said Trump and his campaign officials were emailed about WikiLeaks-hacked information from the Democratic National Committee before it was made public. However, the afternoon after the article was published — and after the Washington Post pointed out their error — CNN issued a correction, stating that the email was sent to Trump’s camp a day after WikiLeaks released the info to the public.
The correction, which is still fixed at the top of the article, reads: “This story has been corrected to say the date of the email was September 14, 2016, not September 4, 2016. The story also changed the headline and removed a tweet from Donald Trump Jr., who posted a message about WikiLeaks on September 4, 2016.”
Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his “mistake”). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
According to Politico, three CNN journalists resigned in June after the publication had to retract a story linking Trump officials to a Russian investment fund.
CNN said these journalists didn’t follow editorial procedures.
Fake News CNN is looking at big management changes now that they got caught falsely pushing their phony Russian stories. Ratings way down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017
So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017
The New York Times
Trump repeatedly refers to The New York Times as “failing” and has tweeted numerous times that they publish “fake news.”
The failing @nytimes has been wrong about me from the very beginning. Said I would lose the primaries, then the general election. FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2017
Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimes and either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying “Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14.” We spoke at length yesterday!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2017
The failing @nytimes writes false story after false story about me. They don’t even call to verify the facts of a story. A Fake News Joke!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017
Shortly after he took office, Trump tweeted that The New York Times apologized for their “inaccurate coverage” of the 2016 presidential election.
After being forced to apologize for its bad and inaccurate coverage of me after winning the election, the FAKE NEWS @nytimes is still lost!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
The newspaper had published a letter last November once Trump won the election vowing its journalists and staff would “report America and the world honestly.” It went on to say readers “can rely on the New York Times to bring the same fairness, the same level of scrutiny, the same independence to our coverage of the president and his team.”
Trump, though, claimed the letter was an apology.
The @nytimes sent a letter to their subscribers apologizing for their BAD coverage of me. I wonder if it will change – doubt it?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2016
The New York Times Communications account tweeted back at Trump, who brought up the letter again in March 2017. They wrote: “False, we did not apologize. We stand by our coverage & thank our millions of subscribers for supporting our journalism.”
.@realdonaldtrump False, we did not apologize. We stand by our coverage & thank our millions of subscribers for supporting our journalism.
— The New York Times Communications (@NYTimesPR) March 29, 2017
Just this week Trump tweeted about the Times:
The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, “to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved.” Get…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018
….impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent “sources,” and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won’t have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018
Who would take the prize?
Looking at Twitter, the very place Trump says he combats “fake news” directly, there are two media outlets he has called out the most. The prize would go to CNN and The New York Times.
FAKE NEWS media knowingly doesn’t tell the truth. A great danger to our country. The failing @nytimes has become a joke. Likewise @CNN. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
Trump even wished the “fake news” a “Happy and Healthy New Year” before the ball dropped on Dec. 31.
As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year. 2018 will be a great year for America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017
“As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year,” he tweeted. “2018 will be a great year for America!”
