Blog Stage 5: The Attack on Freedom of the Press

As of July 24, 2017, President Trump has tweeted the phrase, "FAKE NEWS," 73 times. In the first tweet, posted on December 10, 2016, Trump attacks CNN, using the phrase for the first time. This was only the beginning of Trump's war on mainstream media. Whether it's from the "failing" New York Times or the "low rated" MSNBC, if a news outlet ever critiques the president, he makes sure to call them out for it. While these petty tweets lack substance or evidence of false news stories, they perpetuate contempt for the media. Over 80% of Republicans believe that the mainstream press is full of fake news. Just by scrolling to the bottom of a Washington Post or CNN article or tweet, you will find Trump admirers blindly regurgitating the content of his tweets. This rhetoric is dangerous for journalism and threatens freedom of the press.


Trump is right, fake news is out there. People write false stories all the time. There are plenty of unreliable "news" sources that spew nothing but false information. But the problem with Trump's Twitter blasts are the stories and sources he is attacking. Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, very few sources predicted a Trump victory. This isn't because they hated him or wished for him to lose, it was simply based on polls and other projections. The New York Times predicted that there was an 85% chance that Hillary Clinton would win the White House. Even Fox News failed to predict a Trump victory. Here's what Trump tweeted one week after his inauguration:

Last January, stories began breaking of the Trump administration's ties to the Russian government. The saga began as sources claimed that Michael Flynn, then the National Security Advisor of the United States, had been in contact with the Russian ambassador prior to his appointment. Trump's Twitter exploded, as he once again accused The New York Times, ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC of being fake for running these stories. But on February 13th, 2017, Michael Flynn resigned. In his letter of resignation he writes: "I inadvertently briefed the vice-president elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador."

It's safe to say that by crying "FAKE NEWS," Trump is attempting to draw attention away from his imperfections and downfalls. By labeling stories and sources as false and unreliable, he is denying that his administration could do any wrong. The job of journalists is to dig up corruption and expose what is wrong with America as they have for years. Every president has fallen victim to it, and some have too retaliated out of frustration. The fact that Americans can freely criticize their leaders is what makes America great. While the branches of government keep each other in check, the press holds them accountable. The increasing number of Americans who believe in the overwhelming presence of false journalism is proof that Trump's false claims are far-reaching and endanger the future of free press.

“Every president will try to use the press to his best advantage and to avoid those situations that aren’t to his advantage. The press can take care of itself quite nicely, and a president should be able to take care of himself as well.” -President Ronald Reagan, 1988 White House Correspondents Dinner

For a complete list of @realDonaldTrump's tweets featuring the phrase, "fake news," click here.