An aggressive push in the liberal media to push a narrative of widespread “fake news” may have backfired as members of the liberal media now face that same “fake news” label being applied to their own reporting.
Some liberal journalists have tried to smear conservative media organizations like Independent Journal Review (IJR) and The Blaze with the “fake news” label without justification. (RELATED: Journalists Struggle To Define ‘Fake News’ Even As They Declare War On It)
But this week saw a sharp backlash against the liberal media for their aggressive “fake news” push.
The New York Post’s Daniel Halper mocked MSNBC’s Brian Williams on Friday for decrying fake news. (RELATED: Tall Tale Anchor Brian Williams: ‘Fake News Played A Role In This Election’)
“The man suspended from his TV anchor job for faking his own news is furious about the spread of ‘fake news,'” Halper wrote.
Halper titled his column, “Fact-challenged Brian Williams whines about fake news.”
The Columbia Journalism Review published an article on Thursday with the title, “Washington Post fake news story blurs the definition of fake news.” At issue was an article the Post ran labeling sites as “fake news” without evidence.
“It became apparent soon after that the Post had itself fallen for shoddy information,” CJR’s David Uberti wrote. He later noted, “The Post diminished its credibility at a time when media credibility is in short supply, and the non-apologetic editor’s note doesn’t help.” (RELATED: ‘Fake News’ Outrage Is All About Restoring Power To Elites)
One of the websites labeled “fake news” by the Post has threatened to sue the liberal newspaper for defamation. (RELATED: WaPo Admits A Key Part Of Its ‘Fake News’ Expose Might Be Fake)
Earlier this week, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke argued that members of the liberal media spread fake news when they advanced the “Hands up, don’t shoot” lie about the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. (RELATED: Sheriff Clarke: Liberal Media Created ‘Fake News’ With ‘Hands Up Don’t Shoot’ Lie)
On Wednesday, the Washington Examiner’s T. Becket Adams took a Washington Post columnist to task for pushing a long-debunked narrative while complaining about “fake news.”
“It takes a special lack of self-awareness to repeat a baseless charge against a public figure, while also warning that fake news can have dangerous and potentially deadly consequences,” Adams wrote in a piece titled, “WaPo columnist repeats fake news while complaining about fake news.”
The Hill’s Ashe Schow noted the left-leaning mainstream media’s culpability in spreading fake news in an article this week titled, “Mainstream media is the chief culprit behind ‘fake news.’”
Schow noted that “The ‘hands up, don’t shoot’ narrative was a lie, but some in the media and on the left still parrot the claim, even after forensic evidence proved it wrong.”
Schow went on to list “several additional, high profile examples of the media promoting the spread of fake news.”
