logo

Wiretapped: Politics Aside, This is Why People Don't Trust The Media

image
Author: Jeff Powers
Created: 19 September, 2017
Updated: 21 November, 2022
2 min read

The revelation that President Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was in fact wiretapped in Trump Tower, is just the latest example of why news consumers have such little trust in partisan national media.

Let me qualify this article with an important point: outlets like FoxNews and Breitbart are culpable of their efforts to distort, omit, and present facts in a way that supports their own partisan narrative.

But today's wiretapping revelation is a perfect example of why so many people agree with the #FakeNews label the commander-in-chief has ascribed to CNN.

Today's revelation isn't really about CNN getting a story wrong. Everyone is wrong sometimes, even well-intentioned and impartial news organizations. But CNN didn't just say that Trump was wrong about his assertion several months ago that his campaign was wiretapped. CNN and some of its most prominent "reporters" belittled the president, called the president an "idiot" for even making the suggestion and asserted that, on this basis, he is a liar.

These are strong accusations. Before making them, you would think that a credible news organization would be more careful not to end up with egg on their face.

Nevertheless, America's "Most Trusted Name in News" was seriously wrong. Period.

With demonstrably bad reporting on such a serious issue (an incumbent administration using the power of our public intelligence agencies to spy on the campaign of a presidential candidate), is it any wonder America is losing trust?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-sSS5HMO8k

A look at CNN's headlines since March on the wiretapping reporting, shows just how quick the network has been to challenge Trump's credibility. Note the lack of qualifiers in the headlines below:

More Choice for San Diego

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has found humor in the bad reporting. Assange tweeted on the wiretapping issue:

https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/909932273902014464

A Harvard-Harris poll conducted last May, showed nearly two-thirds of Americans say the mainstream press is full of fake news, a sentiment that is held by a majority of voters across the ideological spectrum.

Latest articles

Vote
Leaders of Pro-Voter Movement for Better Elections to Meet in San Diego
The work to make elections better for voters never stops and no one knows that better than the organizations that put a historic number of systemic reforms on the 2024 ballot. And now, these leaders will gather in San Diego to plan for the future of this massive movement....
13 November, 2024
-
3 min read
money in politics
Maine Voters Reject Big Money in Politics Amidst Most Expensive Election Ever
The 2024 elections broke another spending record from independent political groups. Yet, amidst billions being used to influence voter decisions, Maine citizens voted to rein in this spending on Election Day....
12 November, 2024
-
5 min read
Arizona Government
Arizona Rejected Primary Reform in 2024, But Voters Don't Support the Status Quo Either
Election Day was mostly a rough night for election reformers across the board, from primary reform to new voting methods to gerrymandering. However, it would be a mistake to suggest that this means voters are okay with the status quo....
12 November, 2024
-
4 min read