The Reality of Fake News: Journalistic integrity is under attack in partisan America

The free press has always been an important part of American society.

Journalists monitor political and corporate corruption and alert the public to important events that affect them and the world they live in.

Since the first newspaper in America was created in Boston in 1690, however, the free press has been under threat.

This paper, named Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick, was shut down four days after distribution because authorities claimed it had been issued “without the least privity and Countenance of Authority.”

However, the paper was also said to contain “doubtful and uncertain Reports” which criticized government policy, especially concerning military strategy, according to journalism textbook Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism.

This threat to the public’s ability to understand their government when later prevented through the First Amendment.

Despite this, recent attacks from government officials have threatened newspapers and broadcasting networks nationwide.

President Donald Trump has famously distanced himself from the media, claiming that they are “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth,” in a speech at CIA headquarters.

He has also claimed that the media “[has] no sources; they just make them up when there are none,” in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Though Trump’s and Republicans’ attacks on the press may seem harmless and, in some cases, absolutely hilarious, they are actually incredibly dangerous.

According to a poll published by Gallup, American trust in the press had reached an all time low in 2016, with only 32% of Americans reporting that they have a “great deal or a fair amount of trust in the media.”

This severe drop was likely a result of a dramatic presidential election.

According to Gallup, criticism from Republican officials during Trump’s campaign, as well as Trump’s own statements, had a severe effect on public opinion.

This distrust of the “partisan press” led constituents of both sides of the political divide to seek new news sources.

Many turn to the news on their social media feed, which often reflects their own political bias, to stay informed.

However, this can be incredibly dangerous to public knowledge, as many social media outlets present news that is not simply biased, but often outright false.

According to a study published by Stanford University, 30 million fake pro-Trump news articles and eight million pro-Clinton fake articles were shared on Facebook in the three months leading up to the election.

Both of those numbers are dangerously high, and must be combated.

Although Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg argued against the idea that these stories had a direct impact on the election, they do play a large part in reinforcing previous bias and discrediting the factual reporting that go against these prejudices.

Republican officials have a way to combat this “biased journalism.”

Republican Representative Lamar Smith said it is “Better to get your news directly from the president. In fact, it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth.”

But, historically, when politicians take control of the public’s knowledge of current events, it has not ended well for the public.

Famously in American history were President Richard Nixon’s efforts to suppress media coverage of his involvement in the Watergate scandal, which eventually lead to his resignation in 1974.

Additionally, extreme media suppression is one of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism covered in political scientist Dr. Lawrence’s Britt’s examination of historic fascist regimes.

Though America’s current government is nowhere near the extreme level of media suppression that fascist countries experienced, it is worth noting the dangers of the disrespect shown towards the media and the public by the Trump administration.

The most extreme example of this disrespect is the many times Trump and his associations have lied to the media.

Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein even claimed that “Donald Trump has lied like no president in [his] lifetime,” in an interview with CNN, including the president who’s lies Bernstein so famously exposed: Nixon.

Trump’s statements have caused many others to doubt his validity.

Famously, the Trump administration’s lies were highlighted when Trump and his aides inflated the size of his inauguration crowd, with Press Secretary Sean Spicer claiming that it was the most watched in history.

That is blatantly false, as it went against public transit reports provided by WMATA, crowd counts, Nielsen television ratings, as well as simple eyewitness testimony.

But when Trump Aide Kellyanne Conway was asked about the incident in an interview on Meet The Press, she claimed that Spicer was simply giving “alternative facts.”

This is a clearly a ridiculous claim, and it's easy to simply laugh it off.

But if the Trump administration lies about such a small matter, what happens when they’re asked about the policies that they’ve based their campaign on?

The job of reliably reporting the events and policies that shape the lives of every American can not be left to the White House.

Americans have to be willing to go to reliable news outlets like BBC and the Associated Press to stay informed, and fact check reporting that could not be reliable.

Journalism is important to protect citizens from corruption, and it’s time that citizens did their part to ensure that they are protecting themselves from those who would silence the media.

CARTOON BY SOPHIE ADAMS