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If Trump really had ‘Fake Media Awards,’ here would be his nominees – Metro US
Donald Trump

If Trump really had ‘Fake Media Awards,’ here would be his nominees

Sam Brodsky Posted on
Donald Trump Fake Media Awards

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!”

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!”

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

The New York Times

Trump repeatedly refers to The New York Times as “failing” and has tweeted numerous times that they publish “fake news.”

Shortly after he took office, Trump tweeted that The New York Times apologized for their “inaccurate coverage” of the 2016 presidential election.

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 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.”

Just this week Trump tweeted about the Times:

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.

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,” he tweeted. “2018 will be a great year for America!”

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