John McCain op
President Trump  does not seem to understand that  his  rhetoric and actions reverberate in the same way.  He  has threatened to continue  his  attempt to discredit the free press by bestowing âfake news awardsâ upon reporters and news outlets whose coverage  he  disagrees with. Whether  Trump  knows  it  or not  these efforts are being closely watched by foreign leaders who are already using  his  words as cover as they silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy.
Unfortunately  the  Trump  administrationâs attitude toward such behavior has been inconsistent at best and hypocritical at worst. While administration officials often condemn violence against reporters abroad   Trump  continues  his  unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets. This has provided cover for repressive regimes to follow suit. The phrase âfake newsâ â granted legitimacy by an American president â is being used by autocrats to silence reporters  undermine political opponents  stave off media scrutiny and mislead citizens. CPJ documented 21 cases in 2017 in which journalists were jailed on âfake newsâ charges.
Trumpâs attempts to undermine the free press also make it more difficult to hold repressive governments accountable. For decades  dissidents and human rights advocates have relied on independent investigations into government corruption to further their fight for freedom. But constant cries of âfake newsâ undercut this type of reporting and strip activists of one of their most powerful tools of dissent.
 President Trump  tweeted on Jan. 7 that  he  has rescheduled the presentation of  his  âFake News Awardsâ to Jan. 17. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)
[TGT] does not seem to understand that   [TGT]   rhetoric and actions reverberate in the same way.   [TGT]   has threatened to continue   [TGT]   attempt to discredit the free press by bestowing âfake news awardsâ upon reporters and news outlets whose coverage   [TGT]   disagrees with. Whether   [TGT] knows  it  or not  these efforts are being closely watched by foreign leaders who are already using   [TGT]   words as cover as they silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy.
Unfortunately  the   [TGT] administrationâs attitude toward such behavior has been inconsistent at best and hypocritical at worst. While administration officials often condemn violence against reporters abroad    [TGT] continues  his  unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets. This has provided cover for repressive regimes to follow suit. The phrase âfake newsâ â granted legitimacy by an American president â is being used by autocrats to silence reporters  undermine political opponents  stave off media scrutiny and mislead citizens. CPJ documented 21 cases in 2017 in which journalists were jailed on âfake newsâ charges.
Trumpâs attempts to undermine the free press also make it more difficult to hold repressive governments accountable. For decades  dissidents and human rights advocates have relied on independent investigations into government corruption to further their fight for freedom. But constant cries of âfake newsâ undercut this type of reporting and strip activists of one of their most powerful tools of dissent.
  [TGT] tweeted on Jan. 7 that   [TGT]   has rescheduled the presentation of   [TGT]   âFake News Awardsâ to Jan. 17. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)