Letter: Trump has twisted definition of ‘fake news’

Thanks to the president, there is growing confusion over what actually constitutes “fake news.” This term was coined during the campaign due to large numbers of false stories being posted on social media and believed with regularity. These include false stories about Hillary running a child sex ring from a pizza parlor, Obama banning the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, and the Pope backing Trump for president. These are real examples of fake news; stories fabricated and written in a manner to deceive.

Trump has seized this term and reimagined it, labeling any form of news that he doesn’t like as fake news. Here is where the distinction needs to be made. Reporting on negative information related to the president does not constitute fake news; it’s what regular people simply call “news.” The danger here is that enough people will listen to Trump and his fabrications and take them at face value. So while he whines about fake news, he creates more of it.

He even attempted to label the media as an “enemy of America.” The Fourth Estate must be vigilant. That would truly be American. What Trump is attempting is something else altogether. Know the difference.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 4:53 AM with the headline "Letter: Trump has twisted definition of ‘fake news’."