Last Wednesday was a nail-biter for many of us at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, what with the president’s “Fake News Awards” being announced. Because you just knew we were gonna win one.

Oops! Gosh, it’s like they didn’t think this thing through, but surely that can’t be right …
Image found on Business Insider.

And drat, my dress was at the cleaners. Oh, wait … you mean there wasn’t an actual ceremony, and the GOP website crashed when people tried to see who the “winners” were? And we didn’t get one? Color me mildly shocked.

What impressed me that day was not the president’s rehashing of how the media ticked him off in 2017 (and I’m sure the Wall Street Journal is a lock for 2018 between Stormy Daniels and Kim Jong Un), but how a Republican senator, Jeff Flake, stood up to the president. Because, yeah, disapproving of the sort of actions the president has undertaken—no matter who sits in the Oval Office—goes beyond party.

Just a couple of rebels.
Image found on Tucson Sentinel.

Is there something in the water in Arizona? Seems so, with Flake’s and John McCain’s recent rebellious actions.

In a speech delivered on the Senate floor, Flake employed my favorite Daniel Patrick Moynihan quote—“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts”—and noted, “[W]ithout truth, and a principled fidelity to truth and to shared facts, Mr. President, our democracy will not last.” Flake then challenged the president on his constant claims of “fake news”: “When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him ‘fake news,’ it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press.”

I’m fairly sure the president paid no attention. After all, his name was nowhere in the near-15 minute speech. C’mon, Senator, you know you have to put that in there or he’ll just go back to tweeting.

As to the “Fake News Awards,” the very first one demonstrates a lack of understanding of the difference between news and opinion. Paul Krugman’s claim that the economy wouldn’t recover from the president’s victory was, first and foremost, opinion/analysis, which is not news, though opinion columns (like this one) may be based on news events. Second, it was a prediction—again, not news. And third, Krugman retracted his prediction three days later.

Other “winners” included tweets (because apparently they’re news now) which were quickly corrected, and several mistakes by CNN and another by the New York Times that were corrected as soon as they were discovered (and in one case, those responsible for the errors resigned). ABC’s Brian Ross was also dinged after cutting corners and getting the timeline wrong on Michael Flynn and the Russia investigation; again, though, the error was corrected, and Ross was suspended and reassigned (a longer suspension … or forced retirement … wouldn’t have been out of line, if you ask me).

That’s one of the key differences between responsible media and irresponsible media (and politicians, for that matter): They make corrections to their errors.

I have this much integrity … just kidding … I don’t even know what that is. And why didn’t I get a Fake News Award?
Image found on Twitter.

And then there’s the “greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people.” I think we could debate that one for days, but in this case it’s supposedly Russia collusion (oh, sorry, “RUSSIA COLLUSION!” as the president said). Considering that the investigation is ongoing, and most of the reporting is on the investigation (which is real), it’s a bit premature to call it “fake news,” especially if you offer nothing to disprove it.

But that’s what we do now any time someone says something with which we disagree—yell “fake news” and maybe stamp our feet a little for good measure. At the same time, we forget what fake news actually is: something made up out of whole cloth (and that might have a kernel of truth buried under the fakery and misdirection). A reporting error, while unfortunate, is not fake news; shoddy journalism, yes, but not fake. Something like, oh, I dunno, protesters at Trump rallies being paid $3,500—yeah, that’s fake, complete with an ad on Craigslist put up by Paul Horner, a prolific fake-news writer. (As was the satirical column written by the Chicago Tribune’s Rex Huppke … I love this man’s sense of humor.)

Sorry, I prefer my fake news from The Onion.
Image found on CNN Money.

Horner died in September, but I’m even looking at those reports with suspicion. Still, PolitiFact confirmed an investigation into his death in Maricopa County, Ariz., so …

Many fake news stories (often satire, but all warnings ignored) have some thought put into them. What we’ve seen out of this White House and hyperpartisan sources has often been falsehoods about easily proven things, like attendance at the inauguration, or the magnitude of the president’s electoral college win (still not a landslide, and it ranks 46th out of 58 elections). We’ve also seen the passing along of stories proven false, like a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch kid on crutches (the attacker was born and raised in the Netherlands, according to police, and his religion was not mentioned in the police report, though other sources maintain he’s not Muslim).

And now a Michigan man has been arrested by federal authorities after, records say, he threatened by phone (nearly two dozen times over the space of two days) to kill everyone at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters, saying the network was “fake news.” Where have we heard that before?

But sure, there’s no problem here.

Do as I say, not as I do. You’re not as special as I am.
Editorial cartoon by Jimmy Margulies, jimmymargulies.com.

Senator Flake issued a call to arms, of a sort, in his speech on “fake news”:

“No politician will ever get to tell us what the truth is and is not. And anyone who presumes to try to attack or manipulate the truth to his own purposes should be made to realize the mistake and be held to account. …

“No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these assaults on our institutions. And Mr. President, an American president who cannot take criticism—who must constantly deflect and distort and distract—who must find someone else to blame—is charting a very dangerous path. And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the president adds to the danger.”

Superman is still in shock.
Editorial cartoon by John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

When confronted with the facts, we’ve seen that the truth isn’t necessarily a concern for some people, and that should worry us. As Flake said, “Between the mighty and the modest, truth is the great leveler.” Truth seems to be a problem for the supposed “truth-teller” in the White House.

We as news consumers should be skeptical, not only of news sources that never correct themselves or that play fast and loose with truth, but of those people who label news they don’t like as “fake news,” especially if they threaten to change laws to enforce their vision of reality.

Senator Flake was clear on the responsibilities of the press and public officials, and I think he deserves the last word:

“Any of us who have spent time in public life have endured news coverage we felt was jaded or unfair. But in our positions, to employ even idle threats to use laws or regulations to stifle criticism is corrosive to our democratic institutions. Simply put: It is the press’ obligation to uncover the truth about power. It is the people’s right to criticize their government. And it is our job to take it.”

I think people would pay to see this … get started on it, Congress.
Editorial cartoon by Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.