National Press Club Building, Washington .D.C.
THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB HAS RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CONTINUAL USE OF THE PHRASE “FAKE NEWS” TO CRITICIZE NEWS STORIES THAT HE DISAGREES WITH OR THAT DISPLEASE HIM.
In his January 11, 2017 press conference, as the President-Elect Trump refused to field questions from certain reporters, accusing one journalist of working for a “terrible” organization and referring to an outlet represented by reporters at the event as “fake news.”
Then National Press Club President Thomas Burr issued the following statement on January 11, 2017:
Thomas Burr
“With the proliferation of false news stories dotting the Internet, it is important for American leaders to discern the difference and not intentionally conflate misleading and fake stories from dogged and investigative news that is fundamental to our country.
It is dangerous and unhealthy to declare a news item as ‘fake news’ to distract from facts that you may not like or don’t favor your perspective. Our incoming president must treat the news media as the vital cornerstone of our democracy that it is. To label something as ‘fake’ in an effort to undermine news outlets endangers the trust granted journalists by the public and is antithetical to our country’s values.
To be sure, news organizations make honest mistakes and when they learn they’ve done so, they correct them. That is entirely different from web sites that deliberately disseminate false information. The president-elect appears to be conflating the two in an attempt to discredit news organizations whose coverage displeases him. Doing so may foment a dangerous disrespect for journalists who, however flawed, are merely doing their best to inform the public. Presidents shouldn’t get to pick and choose which reporters’ questions they will answer based on what news outlet for which they work. Doing so now is inappropriate and will do unprecedented damage to our democracy.”
The National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists. Through its Press Freedom Committee, the club works to promote freedom of expression and transparency at home and abroad. The National Press Club Journalism Institute, a non-profit affiliate, equips news professionals with the skills to innovate, leverages emerging trends, recognizes innovators and mentors the next generation.
Published with the permission of the National Press Club. Contact: John M. Donnelly, NPC Press Freedom Committee Chairman: jdonnelly@cq.com; 202 746 6020.
Vero Communiqué 
So, exactly what IS “fake news”?
Is it when CNN highlights a false news story involving a fake dossier promoted by the disgraced former CIA Director?
If not, then again, exactly what IS “fake news”?
Evidently, CNN can dish it out, but they cannot take it.
It was utterly irresponsible to promote a story that had no legitimate underpinning. When the CNN reporter at the center of promoting “fake news” as legitimate did not get his way (insisting on being recognized for a question when another reporter had already been recognized), Trump was not being petty by refusing to tolerate the reporter’s rude interruptions.
USA Today runs a story under the headline, “Trump delays signing order to investigate unfounded voter fraud claims”.
What do they mean, “unfounded”? USA Today is in no position to make any such claim.
There are many examples of voter fraud, voter registration fraud, and vote count fraud and/or the clear opportunity for any of these fraudulent practices.
In a 2012 report, Pew Research reported that “approximately 24 million or 1 in 8 registrations are significantly inaccurate or no longer valid” with “1.8 million deceased individuals… listed as voters” and “12 million records [that] contain an incorrect address.”
During Detroit, Michigan’s recent recount effort, many sealed ballot boxes were found to contain a mere fraction of the ballots that should have been in the boxes, according to official vote totals marked on the outside of the boxes. Hillary Clinton had an overwhelming majority in Detroit. These discrepancies shut down the process as they could not legally be resolved (Michigan law prohibits opening ballots if the number of ballots in the box does not match the vote tally on the outside of the box!).
In California, their “motor voter” law encourages alien voter registrations. All one need do to become registered to vote in California is obtain a valid driver’s license (does not require proof of citizenship) and then when registering to vote, simply claim to be a citizen without any proof of citizenship being required. The opportunity for massive vote fraud in California is clear. California’s voter registration system is, itself, a fraud because it fails to authenticate any claim of citizenship.
During the past election, a number of localities across the country had problems with computer voting that were remarkably identical in nature. A voter would select to vote a straight GOP ticket, yet if the voter checked the individual votes, the only non-GOP vote about to be registered was for President. Was there a worm in the computerized vote station that activated on election day and destroyed itself when polls closed? Was such a worm designed to switch a certain percentage of Trump votes to Hillary Clinton?
These don’t even touch on vote fraud practices in corrupt election districts of heavily urban areas under the firm control of the Democrat Party for many decades.
Clearly, the Pew report provides sufficient evidence to justify Trump’s concern as NOT “unfounded”.
So is USA Today guilty of “fake news” with their false claim that Trump’s concerns are “unfounded” when, in fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest widespread vote fraud?
If Mr. Burr is seriously concerned with promoting the practice of “dogged and investigative news that is fundamental to our country” then he’d do well to support Trump’s call for an investigation of voter registration fraud, voter fraud, and vote tally fraud.
It is the height of “fake news” to try to pass off the egregious actions of CNN and USA Today (described above) and their “fake news” activities as an example of “honest mistakes”.
Trying to deflect legitimate accusations against highly biased legacy news operations (NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, etc., etc.) who are being blatantly dishonest in their “reporting” by pointing a finger at online news resources as the source of “fake news” is, in itself, nothing short of fake news!
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Fake news…Let’s see, there are the Podesta and DNC emails that show the MSM is now a part of the opposition party and supplying all sorts of FAKE NEWS in support of the Dems and against Trump. Then there’s the fake news about the bust of MLK being removed, the faked pictures to show fewer people in attendance at the inaugural. Last but not least is the editing of Ari Fleischer’s interview by ABC to slur Sean Spicer – and it was so bad they had to apologize.
The MSM is working overtime to create Fake News against the GOP and Trump because they can’t stand reporting all of the positive things that are happening and how Trump is running rings around them. The National Press Club has lost all credibility.
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Well said and spot on, Susan!
Major organizations comprising the misnamed “mainstream” news media that were the core of the “fourth estate” have become the “fifth column” of the Leftist Democratic Party, taking on the role of “Ministry of Disinformation” for the DNC.
The fatal Achilles Heel of the Left is their monumental hubris. It is what encourages the Left to believe its own propaganda (in the form of news narratives).
When purveyors of not-very-subtle politically-motivated false narratives start believing their own fiction, we are treated to the spectacle of “pot calling the kettle black” when “the usual suspects” in news accuse others of promoting “fake news”.
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