New York Times publisher Sulzberger (latest of his silver spoon line) is also the latest to whine loudly about Trump using the term “fake news” against the media.
Trump’s ‘fake news’ rhetoric crops up around the globe
Sulzberger responded in the Times that he used the meeting to warn Trump that his rhetoric “is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence,” particularly overseas.
Since Trump took office, foreign leaders have used “fake news” to justify suppressing speech they don’t like. Just in the last month, Egypt passed a “fake news” law criminalizing the spread of false information, while authorities in Vietnam reportedly suspended and fined local news website Tuoi Tre Online following accusations of spreading false news.
Except that it was the media that originated the use of the term “fake news” to indicate a crisis requiring censorship and a crackdown on free speech. Indeed Politico’s EU edition, which is running this story, is also running stories about a fake news crisis in the UK requiring urgent intervention.
One of the origin points of the Russia conspiracy theory was the claim that the Russians were spreading fake news to get Trump elected. That theory is very much in vogue with the media hyping revelations about more fake news on Facebook.
The media can’t have it both ways. It can’t insist that fake news is a dangerous term that threatens free speech… and then utilize it to threaten free speech.
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