by Jack O'Lanterni, President of Fake News International
The Fakies - Fake News Awards
2017 was another tremendous year for fake news. Never before has
so much fake news affected so many people in so many ways with such great
consequences. Fake News International is pleased to announce the preliminary
list of nominees for the Second Annual Fakies Awards.
The Fakies Awards are presented annually on April 1st
in Macedonia to honor the best of fake news throughout the previous year. This
year’s extravaganza will be held at the fabulous Taj Majal Resort in the heart
of Macedonia City. P.T. Barnum, III, will be the Master of Ceremonies.
A lot of fake news can be detected by listening for two little words.
In days of
yore, publishers and editors didn’t put stories on the air or into print until
they had enough of the facts to support the storyline. Sometimes in the race to
break a story ahead of the competition, they got a little ahead of themselves.
When they did, they sometimes printed or aired material that was not accurate
and had to be retracted or corrected. Since reputations are important to news
organizations, they avoided making mistakes as much as possible. Now, to stay
ahead of other outlets, some news organizations go with material that hasn’t
yet been fleshed out. Understanding a few code words can help consumers to
recognize when a story might, possibly, potentially be fake news. For example, James
Rosen of Fox News wrote a story on March 23rd with the following provocative
title. Potential 'smoking gun' showing Obama administration
spied on Trump team, source says.
One of President
Trump’s most consistent targets throughout the election season was the media in
general and fake news in particular. It was a big part of Trump’s schtick. Since
his inauguration, he has continued his criticisms. Why would he stop doing what
has worked so well for him? President Trump recently called fake news the “enemy
of the people.” President Trump clearly believes that journalists who produce unfavorable
coverage should be treated as enemies.
Trump’s
dislike for the media is understandable. Many in the media clearly detest Trump
and it’s obvious. Most of the media were way off in their polling and their prognostications
about the election. They said, over, and over, and over that he didn’t stand a
chance. More recently, the infamous dossier that was published by Buzzfeed hasn’t
resulted in any big stories so far.
CNN and the New York Times were shut out of a recent press briefing with White House Press
Secretary Sean Spicer. One wonders what will happen next. Will the practice of excluding
critical media increase? Will media organizations try to be nicer in order to
avoid being excluded? Will someone – perhaps Jimmy Carter – step up to help
Trump and the media negotiate for a lasting peace?
Trump Declares War on Fake New: Producers of
Fake News head for their bunkers.
