I've been reluctant to say "fake news." It is a stupid term, created by the liberal media to discredit conservative publications and voices.
Yet the not-so-shocking irony is that these liberal outlets- much like liberals in general- are far more guilty of the very thing of which they accuse conservatives.
Fake news is a simple idea: that media outlets are willfully spreading made-up stories, or stories that cannot be verified by facts, in order to push an agenda. The liberal media claim this was done by conservative, independent news websites during the election to help Trump get elected. Though we've yet to see any concrete examples of this.
If you take a close look, however, you'll see a damning trend among the leaders of mainstream news to spread rumors, unverified stories, and outright lies.
During the 2016 Presidential Election, the liberal media sunk to new lows to prevent Donald Trump from getting elected. They inflated any perceived flaw in the man's past, distorted facts, and published blatant fictions to discredit him. It was a lesson they learned all the way back in 2008 when, riding the general contempt of the American public, the media took a hatchet to President Bush, making him out to be the worst President in the history of the United States.
They thought they were effective, given that his successor was Democrat Barack Obama. But- like celebrities who promoted Obama- they overestimated their role in the election. Most people who voted for Obama did so out of resentment over Bush and a desire for a change in leadership. It had more to do with how Obama ran his campaign, rather than what the media said or did.
This election proves the mainstream media's role in politics is rapidly shrinking. They did their best to destroy Trump, only to come out the losers. Now is the time for them to reevaluate their goals, evict any traces of bias, and return to honest journalism. Right?
Wrong.
The brain dead dinosaurs that run the mainstream media are doubling down on their orchestrated attacks against conservatives and the President-elect. Even though this tactic did not work during the election, they are still trying to propagate unverifiable and openly false stories to discredit Trump's victory and hopefully undermine his presidency. This is the very spirit of fake news.
Even though the New York Times "rededicated" itself to honest and insightful journalism after the election (a veiled apology for such law-breaking hit pieces as their releasing of Trump's 90's taxes), they continue to spread propaganda aimed at destroying the next President. This was never more clear than when they hired self-described Clinton "hack" Glenn Thrush to cover the next presidency.
In a pathetic show of hypocrisy, they've tried to go after conservative news sites like Breitbart, by bullying their advertisers to withdraw their funds. Sorry, Times, unlike you, Breitbart is a decent, respectable news agency that actually verifies their stories.
The end result for the Times, however, is pretty bleak. On the back of its rapid decline, the NYT has to rent out most of the upper floors of their building, just to make ends meet. I even spoke with an employee of the organization who described the shocking office arrangement of their staff. To save space, no one has an office, and people are forced to work at giant tables, with virtually no privacy.
How long before the Times goes under? Not very.
Then there are the hit pieces The Washington Post published about Trump's so-called ties to Russia. Even though they posted retractions for the obvious fictions, the stories when viral. It's very likely more people will know about the lies than the retractions. It's clear the publishers knew the stories were false from the beginning and orchestrated this deliberately. They can spread lies for their own ends and then get out of it by posting corrections later.
The entire Russian hoax was deliberately planned by Hillary, Obama, and the press to discredit Donald Trump. Even when the dust settles and the evidence proves otherwise, the American people (or some of them) will always have their suspicions. The lie that Trump worked with Russia to win the election will always linger in public debate, despite any factual evidence. That's what the left wanted. It's the definition of a smear campaign.
Which brings me to the most recent example of flagrant fake news. Buzzfeed, the hack of a website that got popular thanks to clickbait list articles, is now trying to become a legitimate source of news. That's like Hustler wanting to turn from being disgusting smut to a financial magazine. Yet Buzzfeed only seems to be able to publish grossly biased articles, attacking conservatives and the President-elect.
They released a document, allegedly from a British intelligence agent, that claims Trump and his people worked closely with Russia during the campaign. Already people are poking holes in the document, which has zero evidence verifying its claims.
Liberal journalist David Corn, who by no means is a fan of Trump, has come out to explain this document has too many flaws to take seriously. He even said he had access to it months ago, but refused to release it because it could not be verified. At least there are some journalists who still understand the process.
Michael Cohen, one of Trump's legal counsel named in the document, has proof that he never went to Russia or spoke with Russian agents. On the dates in question, he was at the University of California with his son speaking with a baseball coach.
When liberal journalists come out to debunk your release, you know you've really stepped into it. So why did Buzzfeed publish this ridiculous document? They knew it could not be verified and made such bold claims that it defied belief. They did it because, just like the Washington Post, they can spread fake news online with impunity.
Even if proven false, the seeds of the lies will take root in many people's minds. Already idiots are spreading some of the more disgusting parts of the document to their followers on Twitter. They have made gifs and jokes about it. It doesn't matter that it's all fiction, they spread this garbage to their mindless followers for retweets and lulz. The idiots will gobble it up. Buzzfeed wins.
This is the state of modern journalism: a cesspool of filth and lies meant to manipulate you. They've given up verifying facts and protecting the truth, in order to promote their liberal agenda. This time it's to cast doubt on Trump's decided victory at the polls, undermine his ability to lead during his presidency, and to give a rival an advantage come reelection.
There's just one problem: it's Donald Trump they're dealing with.
Had the President-elect been any run-of-the-mill politician, he'd be scrambling right now, quick to make apologies and put out fires. But Trump ain't no politician. He's a man who's known for his bold personality, strong opinions, and backbone of steel. Unlike Obama, who was full of great speeches and rhetoric (thanks to writers like Jon Favreau), Trump can actually back up his words with actions.
His uncompromising statements have already brought back jobs from Carrier, Ford, Chrysler, Apple, and Telsa. Because of him GOP lawmakers already have numerous plans to repeal Obamacare. They're discussing ways to allocate funds for the wall. Everyone who's spoken with Trump during the transition had nothing but good things to say about the man. Even small business prospects are higher than they've been since the 80's.
And the man's not even taken office yet.
All these victories have happened, mind you, as liberals protested in the streets, released false reports about Russian hacking, and continue their campaign against Trump and his administration picks.
Clearly, the liberal media's agenda is failing spectacularly. But instead of learning from this, they stoop even lower to release fake news that is outright libel.
I'm calling for President Trump to go after these publications for libel and defamation of character. For too long they've been allowed to openly publish lies to push their narratives and agenda. They have played fast and loose with the truth; they must be held accountable.
As citizens and readers, we cannot allow this kind of despicable behavior to continue. We cannot support these publications with clicks, ad views, and subscriptions. We must let them know that the age of fake news is dead. Only the highest forms of journalism will be accepted.
