Ever since the news site that I refer to as Politifarce was awarded the increasingly worthless Pulitzer Prize in 2009 I've been over "fact-check" reporting. For one, it rarely checks facts, instead accomplishing nothing more than allowing a reporter to opine on major issues of the day. And no, this is not about media "bias" (which exists) but is more about just shoddy reporting and bad framing of the news of the day. 8 years later, in 2017, almost every newspaper still trying to claim they are relevant and significant in the national political conversation (none of them are) have aped the idea and have their own little "fact-checking" sites that use Pinocchios or some other silly measure of conveying to the reader which data-points align with their opinion.
With Trump however, things are finally starting to spin out of control.
First, a disclaimer. I did not vote for Trump, I do not support Trump, His Presidency is not only not my monkeys, but it's nowhere near my circus. There are a ton of people who support Trump and I think that's A-OK, just as I thought it was A-OK that many people supported Hillary Clinton, despite her being just as bad as the Bronzed Ego.
If there's one area where Trump and I agree however it's where the media is concerned.
Need proof?
The Washington Post just "fact-checked" a statement that they admitted was an opinion. A damned opinion.
Yahoo! (not known for journalism excellence) just fact-checked intentional hyperbole.
And both of these sites were serious.
So, if Trump's little four-year Presidential play-time run results in things like Politifarce and others being totally discredited than good for him. I wrote earlier that I think 2017 might be the year that we stop treating celebrities like enlightened deities and if it is also the year that we require good, solid news reporting then that's also fine.
Here's an idea: "Meryl Streep said this at the Golden Globes last night. President elect Donald Trump responded with this."
Period, end of story. Trust the reader to be able to look at the quotes and figure it out for themselves. No need to "explain the news" or provide ham-fisted "news analysis" from some cub reporter with a journalism degree and little real-world experience, no reason to get "expert opinion" from carefully selected experts who will offer up the preferred narrative, just report the damn thing and walk away.
And yes, Streep IS overrated and hasn't made a truly great movie since Silkwood.
There, I said it.
