Broadcast journalists are joining newspaper editors in a planned Aug. 16 pushback on President Donald Trump's attacks on mainstream media as fake news.
The Boston Globe is leading more than 100 local papers in the effort, which the Radio-Television Digital News Association said Monday (Aug. 13) it was joining.
“We urge our members to join the effort on Thursday, Aug. 16 by dedicating airtime, publishing an online editorial or sharing information via social media platforms that speaks to your viewers and listeners about the role we play in preserving the public’s right and need to know, in a government for and by the people,” said Dan Shelley, RTDNA executive director, in a statement.
Related: Trump’s Press Critiques Gave ‘Murphy Brown’ Reason to Return
“The President has ratcheted up his anti-press contempt," said Shelley. "Journalists are now the ‘disgusting fake news,’ and according to one presidential tweet, we also ‘cause Wars [sic].’ This rhetoric has contributed to many of the president’s supporters lashing out harshly against members of the White House press corps and other journalists. It must stop before more journalists are hurt or worse."
The President has lodged a twitter campaign to marginalize his critics in the media. In just the last day, he has tweeted that the "fake news media" would be reporting unfairly on the claims of a former employee and that the news media were complicit in covering up a government plot to deny him the presidency.
[embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1029010124881453056[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1028633682918166528[/embed]
