A compilation video showing dozens of news reporters on various networks reading from the same script denouncing fake news went viral this past week, and it’s not hard to see why. Give it a watch yourself:
The anchors were all from local news stations owned by parent company Sinclair Media Group. Liberals have been outraged over the conservative slant that the local networks in Sinclair’s portfolio take because apparently, their monopoly in the mainstream media isn’t enough.
President Trump today defended Sinclair after they had their local news anchors warn of alleged bias in reporting by other media outlets. “So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased,” Trump tweeted earlier today.
So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018
The thing is though – most Americans largely agree with the sentiment of the script those Sinclair anchors read. According to a Monmouth University poll:
More than 3-in-4 Americans believe that traditional major TV and newspaper media outlets report “fake news,” including 31% who believe this happens regularly and 46% who say it happens occasionally. The 77% who believe fake news reporting happens at least occasionally has increased significantly from 63% of the public who felt that way last year.
Just 25% say the term “fake news” applies only to stories where the facts are wrong. Most Americans (65%), on the other hand, say that “fake news” also applies to how news outlets make editorial decisions about what they choose to report.
It’s not just Republicans decrying “fake news” either. The belief that major media outlets disseminate fake news has increased across the three main political demographics: Republicans (89% up from 79% in 2017), independents (82% up from 66%), and Democrats (61% up from 43%).
What could possibly explain why people of every political affiliation are perceiving a rise in fake news? The question basically answers itself.
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