Journalists Abandon Fact-Checking on Trump Claims, Citing 10 Years of Exhaustion
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 29
Journalists Abandon Fact-Checking on Trump Claims, Citing 10 Years of Exhaustion
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 29
Summary
A decade of Trump coverage has left many journalists dropping routine fact-checking, the report argues, even when the president makes easily checkable false or contradictory claims.
Two recent examples cited were Trump’s denial that he ordered Justice Department action in the Alaska election and his claim he never considered restoring the White House swimming pool—both contradicted by public remarks or prior reporting.
CBS’s Margaret Brennan directly challenged Attorney General Todd Blanche on the Alaska episode, but the author says major newspapers largely moved on instead of pursuing the underlying issue.
Social media and Trump’s talent for provocation—from comments about Nicki Minaj to insults aimed at foreign leaders—are described as helping crowd out more consequential stories about justice norms, campaign timing and presidential power.