'Fake News' Devalues Real News

Photo Credit: Tim Larsen (That's me in the front row, far right)

I'm not a fan of scare quotes or quibble marks, as some might call them. But when I say "fake news," I'm not talking about fake news sites that try to portray themselves as actual news, but are actually spreading rumor, innuendo, or just entirely made up stories. I'm talking about the term "fake news" being applied to traditional news media, which is the furthest thing from fake.

The 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions I'm not taking political sides. In fact, I'll put this out there, I'm an unaffiliated voter. I've never voted in a primary election or registered to a political party. I don't agree with either party all of the time and I always vote for the candidate who I think will do the best job — regardless of party affiliation. I covered Democrats and Republicans and my only goal was to hold those in power accountable for their actions. This blog post is not meant to be political, though I will mention politics a bit, because it's a big part of who I was.

I have a problem with professional journalists being called "fake news" because I was one. Yes there are media outlets that lean to the left or the right. They've been around for a long time (long before our current administration). They always have their own spin on the news, but it doesn't mean that what they are reporting is fake or untrue, they just may be telling the story of one side over the other. Personally, I prefer media outlets that tell both sides and strive to be objective. I've always preferred newspapers to television news, though I spent about 15 years working for newspapers, so I may be a bit biased.

Filing a short report from my cell phone early on Election Day 2014 after Governor Christie cast his ballot.

Calling professional journalists and news outlets "fake news" is incredibly detrimental. I'll even go as far as saying it's outright dangerous. You might think I'm being overly dramatic, but imagine the world we live in without the news as we know it. It might seem rosy at first. We wouldn't see a constant stream of political commentary, images of wars or civil unrest streaming on our television screens and computers. But imagine the world without the Fourth Estate, without anyone watching to keep those in power in check. A free press is vital to our democracy. Imagine if the only news we knew was coming from our government. We would only hear and see the things those in power wanted us to. Without the media there would have never been the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation. We would have also never known the far-reaching implications of the post-9/11 Patriot Act, which allowed the government to spy on its citizens.

Calling professional journalists and legitimate media outlets "fake" leads people to question what is and isn't true. It allows those in power to manipulate the public for their own benefit (something I would argue both political parties are guilty of doing). I was among the team of reporters that broke the Bridgegate story. Imagine if our newspaper had been repeatedly labeled a fake or a fraud? Would any one have known that politics was at play in causing one of the biggest traffic nightmares Bergen County has experienced? Or would everyone have thought it was an ill planned traffic study? That story is small potatoes compared to others that are covered on a daily basis by reputable reporters who often put their own lives on the line to report from protests, war zones and at political events while a pandemic is raging. (If you want to know more check out Attacks on the Press by the Committee to Protect Journalists. It's an enlightening read.)

Reporters from media outlets based in New Jersey and Mexico attend a news conference during Governor Christie's visit to Mexico in 2014.

I cannot stress how important it is to protect our free press. Our democracy depends on it. Do I think the news media can do a better job of showing impartiality? In many cases, yes. I've been shocked by the way some television anchors have let their opinions show through in recent years. But I also think we all have a role to play in protecting the press, by thinking about what we share with our social networks before we hit post and by reading past the often misleading headlines.

If you follow a news outlet regularly, whether in print, online or even on the air, I implore you to subscribe. News outlets across the country have faced consolidation and mass layoffs as advertising revenue declines and the internet has made information available for free to the masses. Imagine being asked to do your jobs for free without being paid for the work you perform. We are at risk of losing the dwindling media outlets we have if we don't support them. (For those wondering, I have monthly subscriptions to three newspapers (The Record, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal - and NY Times Cooking if you want to count that hah), NY Mag and I'm a NJ Spotlight and WNYC sustaining member.)

This blog post is an assignment for the Communication Media Design course at NJIT.