The Republican National Committee's website, which featured President Donald Trump's Fake News Awards, experienced an issue on Wednesday night as the results were set to be revealed. (Photo: Luisa Haynes/@wokeluisa/Twitter)
Jan 18, 2018
Highlighting President Donald Trump's general lack of support for the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of speech and the press, the president's ever-evolving animosity toward the news media culminated in his #FakeNewsAwards, which he doled out on Wednesday night via the internet--as soon as the Republican National Committee's website issue was resolved.
\u201c404s & Heartbreak\u201d— The Daily Show (@The Daily Show) 1516238062
The stunt--the subject of endless jokes--underscored Trump's apparent inability and unwillingness to calmly respond to any and all criticism. Alongside the mockery, journalists and political commenters used the event to remind the public of the growing threats to free speech and press in the age of Trump.
"The purpose of any award is to create an institutionalized way of promoting a certain cause through drawing public attention," observes Ohio State University professor Gleb Tsipursky, warning: "These awards create an institution for Trump's relentless attacks on mainstream media and position Trump as the only voice who gets to determine truthful media."
Other advocates for freedom shared similar observations on Twitter:
\u201c"My belief, is that the President of the United States is acting in a way that is simply un-presidential when it comes to dealing with members of the press. It is not right to call us the enemy of the people." --@Acosta at tonight's @Newseum event on #PressFreedom in #US\u201d— Committee to Protect Journalists (@Committee to Protect Journalists) 1516236127
\u201cour president is such a dumb loser that I often forget how chilling and reprehensible things like the #FakeNewsAwards actually are\u201d— Natalie Shure (@Natalie Shure) 1516260607
\u201cWe laugh about the #FakeNewsAwards but it is in fact quite terrifying and chilling. This is what happens in dictatorships and fascist regimes. Facts, language, truth and ultimately the press become hijacked to serve power, not question it or hold it accountable.\u201d— Wajahat Ali (@Wajahat Ali) 1516250459
\u201cThe presidents's #FakeNewsAwards is just the latest in a long list of attacks against our First Amendment's freedom of the press.\n\nNo really, we have a list. https://t.co/4UY91noUTJ\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1516238135
After Trump announced his plan to issue Fake News Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)--which tracks threats to press freedom, including cases of journalists being killed, injured, or imprisoned while on the job--trolled Trump while also highlighting the seriousness of his hostility toward journalists and media organizations by giving out awards to the world's anti-press leaders, and honoring the president with an award for "Overall Achievement in Undermining Global Press Freedom."
Trump's Fake News Awards also provided an opportunity to make note the president's mounting list of misleading or blatantly dishonest statements. "President Trump almost never admits error, even as he has made more than 2,000 false or misleading statements," wrote Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post's "Fact Checker" blog.
However, that's not the case for most recipients of Trump's awards, as Kessler noted: "At least eight of the 'Fake News' winners resulted in corrections, with two reports prompting suspensions or resignations. Two of the winners were simply tweets that were quickly corrected and never resulted in news articles. One was an opinion article in which the author later retracted his prediction."
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Highlighting President Donald Trump's general lack of support for the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of speech and the press, the president's ever-evolving animosity toward the news media culminated in his #FakeNewsAwards, which he doled out on Wednesday night via the internet--as soon as the Republican National Committee's website issue was resolved.
\u201c404s & Heartbreak\u201d— The Daily Show (@The Daily Show) 1516238062
The stunt--the subject of endless jokes--underscored Trump's apparent inability and unwillingness to calmly respond to any and all criticism. Alongside the mockery, journalists and political commenters used the event to remind the public of the growing threats to free speech and press in the age of Trump.
"The purpose of any award is to create an institutionalized way of promoting a certain cause through drawing public attention," observes Ohio State University professor Gleb Tsipursky, warning: "These awards create an institution for Trump's relentless attacks on mainstream media and position Trump as the only voice who gets to determine truthful media."
Other advocates for freedom shared similar observations on Twitter:
\u201c"My belief, is that the President of the United States is acting in a way that is simply un-presidential when it comes to dealing with members of the press. It is not right to call us the enemy of the people." --@Acosta at tonight's @Newseum event on #PressFreedom in #US\u201d— Committee to Protect Journalists (@Committee to Protect Journalists) 1516236127
\u201cour president is such a dumb loser that I often forget how chilling and reprehensible things like the #FakeNewsAwards actually are\u201d— Natalie Shure (@Natalie Shure) 1516260607
\u201cWe laugh about the #FakeNewsAwards but it is in fact quite terrifying and chilling. This is what happens in dictatorships and fascist regimes. Facts, language, truth and ultimately the press become hijacked to serve power, not question it or hold it accountable.\u201d— Wajahat Ali (@Wajahat Ali) 1516250459
\u201cThe presidents's #FakeNewsAwards is just the latest in a long list of attacks against our First Amendment's freedom of the press.\n\nNo really, we have a list. https://t.co/4UY91noUTJ\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1516238135
After Trump announced his plan to issue Fake News Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)--which tracks threats to press freedom, including cases of journalists being killed, injured, or imprisoned while on the job--trolled Trump while also highlighting the seriousness of his hostility toward journalists and media organizations by giving out awards to the world's anti-press leaders, and honoring the president with an award for "Overall Achievement in Undermining Global Press Freedom."
Trump's Fake News Awards also provided an opportunity to make note the president's mounting list of misleading or blatantly dishonest statements. "President Trump almost never admits error, even as he has made more than 2,000 false or misleading statements," wrote Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post's "Fact Checker" blog.
However, that's not the case for most recipients of Trump's awards, as Kessler noted: "At least eight of the 'Fake News' winners resulted in corrections, with two reports prompting suspensions or resignations. Two of the winners were simply tweets that were quickly corrected and never resulted in news articles. One was an opinion article in which the author later retracted his prediction."
Highlighting President Donald Trump's general lack of support for the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of speech and the press, the president's ever-evolving animosity toward the news media culminated in his #FakeNewsAwards, which he doled out on Wednesday night via the internet--as soon as the Republican National Committee's website issue was resolved.
\u201c404s & Heartbreak\u201d— The Daily Show (@The Daily Show) 1516238062
The stunt--the subject of endless jokes--underscored Trump's apparent inability and unwillingness to calmly respond to any and all criticism. Alongside the mockery, journalists and political commenters used the event to remind the public of the growing threats to free speech and press in the age of Trump.
"The purpose of any award is to create an institutionalized way of promoting a certain cause through drawing public attention," observes Ohio State University professor Gleb Tsipursky, warning: "These awards create an institution for Trump's relentless attacks on mainstream media and position Trump as the only voice who gets to determine truthful media."
Other advocates for freedom shared similar observations on Twitter:
\u201c"My belief, is that the President of the United States is acting in a way that is simply un-presidential when it comes to dealing with members of the press. It is not right to call us the enemy of the people." --@Acosta at tonight's @Newseum event on #PressFreedom in #US\u201d— Committee to Protect Journalists (@Committee to Protect Journalists) 1516236127
\u201cour president is such a dumb loser that I often forget how chilling and reprehensible things like the #FakeNewsAwards actually are\u201d— Natalie Shure (@Natalie Shure) 1516260607
\u201cWe laugh about the #FakeNewsAwards but it is in fact quite terrifying and chilling. This is what happens in dictatorships and fascist regimes. Facts, language, truth and ultimately the press become hijacked to serve power, not question it or hold it accountable.\u201d— Wajahat Ali (@Wajahat Ali) 1516250459
\u201cThe presidents's #FakeNewsAwards is just the latest in a long list of attacks against our First Amendment's freedom of the press.\n\nNo really, we have a list. https://t.co/4UY91noUTJ\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1516238135
After Trump announced his plan to issue Fake News Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)--which tracks threats to press freedom, including cases of journalists being killed, injured, or imprisoned while on the job--trolled Trump while also highlighting the seriousness of his hostility toward journalists and media organizations by giving out awards to the world's anti-press leaders, and honoring the president with an award for "Overall Achievement in Undermining Global Press Freedom."
Trump's Fake News Awards also provided an opportunity to make note the president's mounting list of misleading or blatantly dishonest statements. "President Trump almost never admits error, even as he has made more than 2,000 false or misleading statements," wrote Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post's "Fact Checker" blog.
However, that's not the case for most recipients of Trump's awards, as Kessler noted: "At least eight of the 'Fake News' winners resulted in corrections, with two reports prompting suspensions or resignations. Two of the winners were simply tweets that were quickly corrected and never resulted in news articles. One was an opinion article in which the author later retracted his prediction."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.