04 May 2019

How Lies Become Truths

Think Progress published an excellent piece yesterday (link here) about how mass media in their headlines and tweets inadvertently turn Donald Trump's lies into what appears to be truths.

A lot of people get their news only by skimming headlines and media tweets. So, for instance, when Trump falsely claimed that the Mueller Report exonerated him, a media headline might simply say Trump Celebrates Mueller 'Exoneration'.

The quotation mark reveals it's only Trump's self-proclaimed "exoneration" but much of the public won't realize that. The simple declarative statement will be what sticks in their heads.

The linked article provides numerous other real-world examples of how Trump's lies, when reported on by the media, innocently can seem like they're truths.

The big question for all this -- does Trump do this deliberately or does it just happen by accident when the media tries to cover a profligate liar?

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