logo

Denzel Washington, Pope Francis among Latest to Blast Mainstream Media for "Fake News"

image
Created: 07 December, 2016
Updated: 17 October, 2022
2 min read

I know. What was the likelihood that Denzel Washington and Pope Francis would appear in the same headline... ever? But both have something in common this week: they have come out against the way mainstream and traditional media now treat the 24-hour news cycle.

"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read it, you're misinformed," Denzel Washington told reporters outside the Wednesday premiere of Fences at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Washington is the director and star of the film, which tells the story of a black family living in 1950s Pittsburg.

Washington has some experience with "fake news," as unsubstantiated reports surfaced earlier this year that he was switching his support from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to Republican candidate and now President-elect Donald Trump.

"In our society, now it's just first — who cares, get it out there. We don't care who it hurts. We don't care who we destroy. We don't care if it's true," Washington added.  "Just say it, sell it. Anything you practice you'll get good at — including BS."

Pope Francis told "Tertio," a Belgian Catholic weekly, that reporting and spreading disinformation and stories that are purely sensational is "probably the greatest damage that the media can do." He said this type of reporting amounted to a sin.

"I think the media have to be very clear, very transparent, and not fall into ... the sickness of coprophilia, that is, always wanting to cover scandals, covering nasty things, even if they are true," the Pope said.

He added, "And since people have a tendency towards the sickness of coprophagia, a lot of damage can be done."

The comments from Washington and Pope Francis come at a time when the U.S. is still debating the spread of disinformation and "fake news" in both online and traditional media outlets. A lot of finger pointing in the media, but no one willing to take responsibility.

It has gotten so bad that the Washington Post published an article about the spread of Russian propaganda in U.S. election coverage from "fake news sites." WaPo uses PropOrNot.com as a source, which claims websites like the Ron Paul Institute of Peace and Prosperity, conservative-leaning news aggregate Drudge Report, the left-leaning Mint Press News, and random additions like NutritionFacts.org (a site that was later removed.) are arms (intentionally or unintentionally) of the Russian propaganda machine.

IVP Existence Banner

Yet, according to a report on IVN, no clear evidence is presented by PropOrNot.com -- a team of anonymous citizens claiming to have broad experience in fields such as "computer science, statistics, public policy, and national security affairs" -- that these groups actually did spread Russian propaganda nor does it cite examples for each website.

Pope Francis believes the role of the media should be to educate the public, and he is not wrong. To his point, however, it has become more about being first -- leading to the rise of what I like to call knee-jerk journalism -- than being right, accurate, or informative.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read