Trump’s fake news awards condemned as ‘attack on free press’
CNN sweeps the board at president’s ‘honours’ for bad reporting
Donald Trump has given out ‘fake news awards’ to members of the US media - a new escalation of the president’s ever-souring relationship with the press.
Unsurprisingly, it was CNN who walked away with the most gongs. The news network, long a favourite target of Trump’s vitriol, was named in four of the 11 instances of “fake news” highlighted in a post published on the Republican Party’s official website this morning.
Trump originally planned to give out the ‘awards’ on 8 January, but postponed the announcement amid the media whirlwind surrounding the publication of Fire and Fury, journalist Michael Wolff’s explosive account of the Trump administration.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The awards are less elaborate than those initially outlined by the president, which would have awarded prizes in a variety of categories.
Trump’s newly published list highlights examples of “fake news” ranging “from minor errors by journalists on social media to news reports that later invited corrections”, The Guardian reports.
The American Civil Liberties Union, well known for taking on legal cases upholding freedom of speech, tweeted that the awards were “the latest in a long list of attacks against our First Amendment and freedom of the press”.
Others also expressed concern about Trump’s unprecedented intervention.
The Seattle Times reporter Mike Rosenberg and economist Davis Rothschild were among those who argued that while the news organisations had admitted their mistakes, the White House attempts to pass off its own inaccurate claims as truth.
Although many commentators reacted to the attack on the media with anger, some couldn’t help but laugh.
Newsweek’s Chris Riotta graciously accepted his award for a story on an awkward greeting between Trump and the wife of the Polish president.
Trump first used the phrase “fake news” in a tweet he posted as president-elect in December 2016, and has used it with increasing frequency since as a weapon in his unprecedented war on the press, adding a new buzzword to the American political lexicon.
Little more than two weeks into 2018, “already… he has posted the phrase ‘fake news’ to Twitter ten times”, The Independent reports.
Moments before unveiling the “winners”, however, the president struck an unusually conciliatory tone towards the press, praising the “many great reporters” in the country - although he failed to name any.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
This is what you should know about State Department travel advisories and warnings
In Depth Stay safe on your international adventures
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Can Europe pick up the slack in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Trump's election raises questions about what's next in the war
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What does the G20 summit say about the new global order?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump's election ushers in era of 'transactional' geopolitics that threatens to undermine international consensus
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
What will Trump mean for the Middle East?
Talking Point President-elect's 'pro-Israel stance' could mask a more complex and unpredictable approach to the region
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How will Elon Musk's alliance with Donald Trump pan out?
The Explainer The billionaire's alliance with Donald Trump is causing concern across liberal America
By The Week UK Published
-
'Paraguay has found itself in a key position'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Will Trump fire Fed chair Jerome Powell?
Today's Big Question An 'unprecedented legal battle' could decide the economy's future
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published