Edder Martinez, Staff Reporter
“Fake news,” a phrase that has become familiar to those who haven’t been living under a rock for the past six years. It seems the term fake news has lost all meaning, and has become more of a synonym for a piece of media one does not agree with.
President Donald J. Trump has contributed to this phenomenon with his crusade against media outlets during his presidency and both of his campaigns. His use of the phrase, and his weaponization of fear has caused an increased distrust in the media that is still present today. It’s also given more authoritarian governments the perfect excuse to put down journalistic institutions by labeling them fake news.
Targeting newspapers and journalist isn’t a new issue to the United States; President Richard Nixon also famously put down media and protests criticizing him, but what President Trump has done is plummet public trust of the media which has generally been going down especially among republicans, but according to a Gallup survey, as of 2022 media trust is at an all-time low with only 16% percent of Americans saying they trust the newspaper a great deal or quite a lot, whilst 80% of Americans say they trust the newspaper some amount or very little.
This increased distrust of the media allows politicians to easily discredit media that throws valid criticism at them. It discredits journalism as a profession and their work is made harder because of it. It also allows them to take advantage by fear mongering being voted on a platform of fear instead of one of change.
This trend has also given authoritarian governments more control over their media outlets and the voices of citizens by putting them under the label of fake news. Countries like Russia and Egypt have passed laws limiting free speech. In 2018, Egypt passed a law allowing the Supreme Court Council to block, suspend, and or fine websites or even social media accounts over 5000 followers if it posts news that is deemed to be “fake.”
Russia also passes a similar law that can block defamatory language against Russian president Vladimir Putin and his government in order to “keep website, and social media accounts accountable.”
It’s important for the average citizen to have access to quality journalism that speaks truth to power, in order to be able to see through the bluff the politicians will try to use to undermine the will of the people.