90 Miles From Tyranny : A Disturbing Glimpse Into the Manufacturing of Fake News

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Monday, June 3, 2019

A Disturbing Glimpse Into the Manufacturing of Fake News



President Trump’s enemies provided yet another disturbing glimpse of the bona fide fake news factory into which the mainstream media has morphed.

Late last week, Ian Bremmer tweeted a made-up quote from President Trump. Bremmer is one of the most well-known foreign policy experts in America. He didn’t offer any hint that the statement was fake. “President Trump in Tokyo: ‘Kim Jong Un is smarter and would make a better President than Sleepy Joe Biden,'” Bremmer wrote. He provided no further context.

As expected, the fake news twitterverse took the quote at face-value. Journalists and lawmakers alike went on to share Bremmer’s tweet. They blasted President Trump for a comment he never made.

Liberals Run With the Fake Quote

CNN contributor Ana Navarro-Cárdenas retweeted the fake quote with an emotional message to her followers.

“Don’t shrug your shoulders. Don’t get used to this insanity,” she wrote. “The President of the United States praising a cruel dictator who violates human rights, threatens nuclear attacks, oppresses his people, and kills political opponents, IS NOT FREAKING NORMAL.”

Democrat Representative Ted Lieu also took the bait. He tweeted a list of critical questions at the president in response to Bremmer’s made-up quote. “Is this when @realDonaldTrump became our President? Or was it when he kowtowed to Putin in Helsinki? Or was it when he said there are find people on both sides? Or was it when he obstructed justice multiple times? Or was it when he separated infants from parents? Or was it w …” the lawmaker said.

The Objectively Ludicrous Remark

The outrage spread across social media. Finally, Bremmer posted an “update.” He admitted that he had invented the “objectively ludicrous” remark as an experiment. The following day, Bremmer finally issued a belated apology for his original tweet. He admitted that he “should have been clearer” when (mis-)quoting the president.

You may not believe Bremmer’s claim. But it’s clear that his initial tweet lacked proper context. He is a respected foreign policy expert, columnist and editor-at-large for Time magazine. Bremmer is — or was — viewed as a credible source by many of his followers. He should have taken that responsibility more seriously. However, Bremmer is not an objective “reporter” who is paid to publish facts. Media persons who quickly spread his...

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