Faking Our News

There has been a lot of discussion over fake news within our media in recent years. It’s a term that those on the right as well as the left have used against one another within politics, with the President being the loudest voice against fake news and misinformation. However, one of his latest tweets, just before giving his State of the Union address, makes the claim that his approval rating is at 48%, citing a poll from Drudge Report.

Drudge Report is a right leaning news aggregate however, with a very clear bias in its news articles and headlines. Looking at a more apolitical poll, such as Gallup, it shows that the President’s approval rating is at 37% as of the end of January.

Using the State of the Union as a moment to call for unity was a kairotic moment, in that the President attempted to use discussion around the country’s current state, in order to bring people together. Unfortunately, it backfired as many who replied to the tweet noticed the claim of a 48% approval rating. Some called for a boycott of the State of the Union address, and others emphasized the fact that over half the country is united disapproval of his performance.

There are many issues with fake news and misinformation in an age where anyone is able to post whatever they like for all to see. A call for an end to misinformation is one that can be supported by all, however using misinformation yourself while calling for an end to it at the same time comes off as hypocritical. The president’s timing on his call to unity was held back, and even damaged, by showing people this hypocrisy and widening the rift between the right and the left even further.

There were many responses to the President’s tweet, some used data to show how he was incorrect on the approval rating, while others used images or memes to poke fun at further misleading claims. I personally find the responses that used data to disprove the President’s claims of a 48% approval rating to be the best way to approach the situation. Attacking the other side with memes doesn’t provide a concrete base to have an argument, and the discussion usually devolves into name calling and insults thrown at each other. If we go through the effort to do a little digging, we can not only find the truth in an endless sea of distorted and misleading news, we can lead the charge in ending misinformation.