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| Meta Title | PolitiFact | The media's definition of fake news vs. Donald Trump's |
| Meta Description | When PolitiFact fact-checks fake news, we are calling out fabricated content that intentionally masquerades as news cove |
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| Boilerpipe Text | When PolitiFact fact-checks fake news, we are calling out fabricated content that intentionally masquerades as news coverage of actual events.
When President Donald Trump talks about fake news, he means something else entirely.
Instead of fabricated content, Trump uses the term to describe news coverage that is unsympathetic to his administration and his performance, even when the news reports are accurate.
Trump is so taken with the phrase "fake news," that heâs mentioned it at least 153 separate times in interviews, on Twitter and in speeches, according to a count compiled by PolitiFact.
Recently, Trump even took credit for inventing the term. "Look, the media is fake," Trump said in
an interview
with conservative pundit and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "The media is -- really, the word, I think one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with -- is fake. I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years, but I've never noticed it."
In 10 years of fact-checking, we here at PolitiFact have not seen such a yawning chasm between the meaning of words.
PolitiFact has devoted many hours to knocking down fake news: accounts of events that never happened, from the frightening to the frivolous.
Weâve fact-checked whether NASA said the earth would be plunged into darkness for 15 days in November. (
Pants on Fire
.) Weâve looked at whether HIV had been detected in bananas sold at Wal-Mart. (
Pants on Fire
.) And we looked at whether passers-by came to the aid of comedian Bill Murray when his car broke down in Rochester, N.H. -- or Marion, Ohio; or Shakopee, Minn.; or many other cities. (All
Pants on Fire
.)
We think itâs worth diving into the differing definitions of fake news between the fact-checkers and the president. Our reporting found that itâs a distinction that has solidified over the months of President Trumpâs tenure. And it has specific implications for language, for a free press and for the First Amendment.
The fact-checkers and fake news
If you define fake news as fabricated content, then 2016 was the year fake news came into its own. False reports ran rampant on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and they landed at the top of search results on Google and others. PolitiFact named fake news its
Lie of the Year for 2016
, citing fictitious Web posts that were the ultimate election-year clickbait, such as claims that Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump, or that Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS. (Neither of those things is true.)
Since the election, fact-checkers and the public have learned more about fake news. Some people create fake news to make a quick buck off automated advertising in a simple cash-for-clicks formula. Others use fake news for political mischief, such as liberal blogger Christopher Blair who
told PolitiFact
he writes fake news to "mess with conservatives." (A typical report: pop star Lady Gaga was arrested for criticizing first lady Melania Trump.
Pants on Fire
.)
Federal investigators, though, have been looking into whether people working on behalf of the Russian government have published or promoted fake news via U.S.-based social media as part of an effort to sow division and undermine democracy.
We donât know much about the specifics of these investigations, and it may be that investigators are looking at actions on social media that include but are not limited to fake news, especially political advertising.
Without discussing details, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee held
a press conference
recently to warn that Russia had sought to undermine U.S. elections in 2016 and would likely try again.
"What I will confirm is that the Russian Intelligence Service is determined, clever, and I recommend that every campaign and every election official take this very seriously as we move into this November's election and as we move into preparation for the 2018 election," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., on Oct. 4.
Burr and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said they intended to have a public hearing in November with representatives of the major platforms -- Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, Facebook has engaged with independent fact-checkers -- including PolitiFact -- since December 2016 to fact-check content that users flag as suspicious.
Facebook
published its own report
in April noting that the term "fake news" has come to refer to a wide variety of factually incorrect content, from inaccurate news to opinion pieces, parodies, hoaxes, rumors and simple misstatements. Facebook prefers the terms "false news" and "disinformation" for inaccurate content that is spread with intent to deceive.
"In brief, we have had to expand our security focus from traditional abusive behavior, such as account hacking, malware, spam and financial scams, to include more subtle and insidious forms of misuse, including attempts to manipulate civic discourse and deceive people," the report concluded. Â
Donald Trump and fake news
Since the beginning of 2017, President Trump has invoked the phrase "fake news" on 153 separate occasions. Virtually every instance has been in response to critical news coverage.
Trump has used it when he felt he wasnât getting enough credit for positive actions, such as helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria. "We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates," he said on
Twitter
.
Heâs used the term after news channels simply reported what he said, such as his comments about white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. "The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself, and the fake news," Trump said at a
campaign-style rally
in Phoenix.
And heâs used the term repeated when news organizations have covered basic facts about the governmentâs own investigations into Russiaâs influence on the 2016 election. "It is the same Fake News Media that said there is âno path to victory for Trumpâ that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!" Trump said on
Twitter
.
Most often, PolitiFact found, his targets have been CNN (23 mentions in 2017) and NBC (19 mentions), followed by the
New York Times
(12 mentions) and the
Washington Post
(eight mentions). We found only one news outlet that had been singled out for praise during his discussions of fake news: Fox News.
Trump is particularly quick to label coverage "fake news" when the reports have unnamed sources, and unnamed sources seem to make Trump the most irate.
Itâs understandable that public figures get angry when theyâre accused of something but they donât know who the source is, said Aly Col὚n, the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Media Ethics at Washington and Lee University.
"If President Trump doesnât believe what is said, then he would believe it is fake, because it doesnât fit into the reality that he accepts," Col὚n said.
When the media uses anonymous sources and Trump labels the stories as fake news, the public doesnât have much recourse for evaluating the evidence for themselves, Col὚n said. That typically means theyâll side with whomever they have the most sympathy with anyway.
"What becomes most prevalent is people are inclined to believe whoever they came to the dance with," Col὚n said. "Until something very obvious and visible contradicts that, theyâre not going to have a very strong basis for accepting things from people they donât trust."
Andrew Seaman, ethics chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, agreed that the use of unnamed sources "allows for people -- from the president to the public -- to sometimes easily wave away the information."
Nevertheless, that doesnât make the stories "fake."
"While I donât like the overuse of anonymous sources, I do have confidence in stories based on those sources from most large news organizations," Seaman said. "My advice to the public is to always consider a news organizationâs history and track record. The
New York Times
,
Washington Post
and others all have scandals in their pasts, but the overwhelming weight of evidence shows their journalism to be reliable and trustworthy."
At times, Trump has seemed to advocate outright censorship in response to negative coverage, as when he reacted to
an NBC report
based on anonymous sources that said Trump had wanted an unprecedented and likely impractical increase to the U.S. nuclear arsenal; Trump backed off when his advisers told him it was a bad idea, according to the report. (It was this incident that allegedly spurred Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call Trump a moron -- again, a report based on unnamed sources.)
The NBC report on the nuclear arsenal enraged Trump enough to threaten the network.
"With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!" he tweeted the morning of Oct. 11.
Later that day, when asked about the report on the nuclear arsenal at a press conference, Trump said, "No, I never discussed increasing it. I want it in perfect shape. That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news, lately. ⌠ It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it."
First Amendment implications
Trumpâs comments on revoking licenses prompted one member of Trumpâs own party to question his commitment to the Constitutionâs First Amendment.
"Mr. President: Words spoken by the President of the United States matter," said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a
prepared statement
. "Are you tonight recanting of the oath you took on January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment?"
Other First Amendment advocates described Trumpâs use of the term "fake news" as Orwellian, because it uses words to mean the opposite of their literal definition, as in George Orwellâs dystopian novel 1984.
"It is a characteristic of authoritarian leaders, whether Communist or Nazi, to appropriate ordinary words and declare them to mean the opposite," said Bruce Johnson, a Seattle-based  media lawyer. "Repressive regimes hold power by depriving their population of independent thinking and making the masses believe lies."
Trumpâs threats are "simply unprecedented," said Sonja R. West, the Otis Brumby Distinguished Professor of First Amendment Law at the University of Georgia School of Law.
"While other presidents have certainly had their disagreements with particular stories or journalists, they still showed a basic level respect to the press as an institution and acknowledged the important role it plays," West said. "Having the president openly wage war on the press by trying to delegitimize it is extremely concerning."
Finally, Trumpâs "fake news" attacks confuse ideas about what is accurate and what is newsworthy, said RonNell Andersen Jones, a professor of law at the University of Utah who studies the First Amendment and media law.
Trumpâs complaints tend to focus only on labeling the press as fake, rather than offering evidence to the contrary. This flies in the face of norms that assume that political leaders will rebutt incorrect news reports with better facts and evidence, she said.
"If mistakes are made, the president of the United States is better positioned than anyone in the world to clarify and correct the errors -- to counter misinformation with actual, correct information," Jones said. "Cases from the Supreme Court about media freedom envision that this will happen, and they protect the press even when it makes mistakes because of the expectation that government officials will counter any false information with clear, truthful information. Striking out at the press with nothing more than a bald label -- âfake newsâ -- undercuts this central feature of our democracy and places the larger First Amendment framework at risk." |
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# The media's definition of fake news vs. Donald Trump's
- [National](https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/ "National")
[](https://www.politifact.com/staff/angie-drobnic-holan/)
By [Angie Drobnic Holan](https://www.politifact.com/staff/angie-drobnic-holan/) October 18, 2017
When PolitiFact fact-checks fake news, we are calling out fabricated content that intentionally masquerades as news coverage of actual events.
When President Donald Trump talks about fake news, he means something else entirely.
Instead of fabricated content, Trump uses the term to describe news coverage that is unsympathetic to his administration and his performance, even when the news reports are accurate.
Trump is so taken with the phrase "fake news," that heâs mentioned it at least 153 separate times in interviews, on Twitter and in speeches, according to a count compiled by PolitiFact.
Recently, Trump even took credit for inventing the term. "Look, the media is fake," Trump said in [an interview](https://youtu.be/hVQPVGPAUtc?t=8m48s) with conservative pundit and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "The media is -- really, the word, I think one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with -- is fake. I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years, but I've never noticed it."
In 10 years of fact-checking, we here at PolitiFact have not seen such a yawning chasm between the meaning of words.
PolitiFact has devoted many hours to knocking down fake news: accounts of events that never happened, from the frightening to the frivolous.
Weâve fact-checked whether NASA said the earth would be plunged into darkness for 15 days in November. ([Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jun/14/blog-posting/its-fake-nasa-never-said-earth-will-go-dark-15-day/).) Weâve looked at whether HIV had been detected in bananas sold at Wal-Mart. ([Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/feb/06/cnnews3com/fake-news-claims-walmart-bananas-have-hiv-virus-ar/).) And we looked at whether passers-by came to the aid of comedian Bill Murray when his car broke down in Rochester, N.H. -- or Marion, Ohio; or Shakopee, Minn.; or many other cities. (All [Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/06/blog-posting/celebrity-praise-helpful-locals-are-fake-stories-c/).)
We think itâs worth diving into the differing definitions of fake news between the fact-checkers and the president. Our reporting found that itâs a distinction that has solidified over the months of President Trumpâs tenure. And it has specific implications for language, for a free press and for the First Amendment.
## The fact-checkers and fake news
If you define fake news as fabricated content, then 2016 was the year fake news came into its own. False reports ran rampant on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and they landed at the top of search results on Google and others. PolitiFact named fake news its [Lie of the Year for 2016](https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/dec/13/2016-lie-year-fake-news/), citing fictitious Web posts that were the ultimate election-year clickbait, such as claims that Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump, or that Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS. (Neither of those things is true.)
Since the election, fact-checkers and the public have learned more about fake news. Some people create fake news to make a quick buck off automated advertising in a simple cash-for-clicks formula. Others use fake news for political mischief, such as liberal blogger Christopher Blair who [told PolitiFact](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2017/may/31/If-youre-fooled-by-fake-news-this-man-probably-wro/) he writes fake news to "mess with conservatives." (A typical report: pop star Lady Gaga was arrested for criticizing first lady Melania Trump. [Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/sep/06/blog-posting/no-lady-gaga-was-not-arrested-criticizing-melania-/).)
Federal investigators, though, have been looking into whether people working on behalf of the Russian government have published or promoted fake news via U.S.-based social media as part of an effort to sow division and undermine democracy.
We donât know much about the specifics of these investigations, and it may be that investigators are looking at actions on social media that include but are not limited to fake news, especially political advertising.
Without discussing details, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee held [a press conference](https://www.lawfareblog.com/video-and-transcript-press-conference-senators-richard-burr-and-mark-warner-ssci-russia-probe) recently to warn that Russia had sought to undermine U.S. elections in 2016 and would likely try again.
"What I will confirm is that the Russian Intelligence Service is determined, clever, and I recommend that every campaign and every election official take this very seriously as we move into this November's election and as we move into preparation for the 2018 election," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., on Oct. 4.
Burr and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said they intended to have a public hearing in November with representatives of the major platforms -- Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, Facebook has engaged with independent fact-checkers -- including PolitiFact -- since December 2016 to fact-check content that users flag as suspicious.
Facebook [published its own report](https://fbnewsroomus.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/facebook-and-information-operations-v1.pdf) in April noting that the term "fake news" has come to refer to a wide variety of factually incorrect content, from inaccurate news to opinion pieces, parodies, hoaxes, rumors and simple misstatements. Facebook prefers the terms "false news" and "disinformation" for inaccurate content that is spread with intent to deceive.
"In brief, we have had to expand our security focus from traditional abusive behavior, such as account hacking, malware, spam and financial scams, to include more subtle and insidious forms of misuse, including attempts to manipulate civic discourse and deceive people," the report concluded.
## Donald Trump and fake news
Since the beginning of 2017, President Trump has invoked the phrase "fake news" on 153 separate occasions. Virtually every instance has been in response to critical news coverage.
Trump has used it when he felt he wasnât getting enough credit for positive actions, such as helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria. "We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates," he said on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914465475777695744).
Heâs used the term after news channels simply reported what he said, such as his comments about white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. "The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself, and the fake news," Trump said at a [campaign-style rally](https://www.c-span.org/video/?432748-1/president-trump-criticizes-dishonest-media-defends-charlottesville-remarks-rally-phoenix&start=3351) in Phoenix.
And heâs used the term repeated when news organizations have covered basic facts about the governmentâs own investigations into Russiaâs influence on the 2016 election. "It is the same Fake News Media that said there is âno path to victory for Trumpâ that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!" Trump said on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/848158641056362496).
Most often, PolitiFact found, his targets have been CNN (23 mentions in 2017) and NBC (19 mentions), followed by the *New York Times* (12 mentions) and the *Washington Post* (eight mentions). We found only one news outlet that had been singled out for praise during his discussions of fake news: Fox News.
Trump is particularly quick to label coverage "fake news" when the reports have unnamed sources, and unnamed sources seem to make Trump the most irate.
Itâs understandable that public figures get angry when theyâre accused of something but they donât know who the source is, said Aly Col὚n, the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Media Ethics at Washington and Lee University.
"If President Trump doesnât believe what is said, then he would believe it is fake, because it doesnât fit into the reality that he accepts," Col὚n said.
When the media uses anonymous sources and Trump labels the stories as fake news, the public doesnât have much recourse for evaluating the evidence for themselves, Col὚n said. That typically means theyâll side with whomever they have the most sympathy with anyway.
"What becomes most prevalent is people are inclined to believe whoever they came to the dance with," Col὚n said. "Until something very obvious and visible contradicts that, theyâre not going to have a very strong basis for accepting things from people they donât trust."
Andrew Seaman, ethics chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, agreed that the use of unnamed sources "allows for people -- from the president to the public -- to sometimes easily wave away the information."
Nevertheless, that doesnât make the stories "fake."
"While I donât like the overuse of anonymous sources, I do have confidence in stories based on those sources from most large news organizations," Seaman said. "My advice to the public is to always consider a news organizationâs history and track record. The *New York Times*, *Washington Post* and others all have scandals in their pasts, but the overwhelming weight of evidence shows their journalism to be reliable and trustworthy."
At times, Trump has seemed to advocate outright censorship in response to negative coverage, as when he reacted to [an NBC report](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/trump-wanted-dramatic-increase-nuclear-arsenal-meeting-military-leaders-n809701) based on anonymous sources that said Trump had wanted an unprecedented and likely impractical increase to the U.S. nuclear arsenal; Trump backed off when his advisers told him it was a bad idea, according to the report. (It was this incident that allegedly spurred Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call Trump a moron -- again, a report based on unnamed sources.)
The NBC report on the nuclear arsenal enraged Trump enough to threaten the network.
"With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!" he tweeted the morning of Oct. 11.
Later that day, when asked about the report on the nuclear arsenal at a press conference, Trump said, "No, I never discussed increasing it. I want it in perfect shape. That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news, lately. ⌠It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it."
## First Amendment implications
Trumpâs comments on revoking licenses prompted one member of Trumpâs own party to question his commitment to the Constitutionâs First Amendment.
"Mr. President: Words spoken by the President of the United States matter," said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a [prepared statement](https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A90374B7-44A6-4BC8-82E2-CE01A9418D6E). "Are you tonight recanting of the oath you took on January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment?"
Other First Amendment advocates described Trumpâs use of the term "fake news" as Orwellian, because it uses words to mean the opposite of their literal definition, as in George Orwellâs dystopian novel 1984.
"It is a characteristic of authoritarian leaders, whether Communist or Nazi, to appropriate ordinary words and declare them to mean the opposite," said Bruce Johnson, a Seattle-based media lawyer. "Repressive regimes hold power by depriving their population of independent thinking and making the masses believe lies."
Trumpâs threats are "simply unprecedented," said Sonja R. West, the Otis Brumby Distinguished Professor of First Amendment Law at the University of Georgia School of Law.
"While other presidents have certainly had their disagreements with particular stories or journalists, they still showed a basic level respect to the press as an institution and acknowledged the important role it plays," West said. "Having the president openly wage war on the press by trying to delegitimize it is extremely concerning."
Finally, Trumpâs "fake news" attacks confuse ideas about what is accurate and what is newsworthy, said RonNell Andersen Jones, a professor of law at the University of Utah who studies the First Amendment and media law.
Trumpâs complaints tend to focus only on labeling the press as fake, rather than offering evidence to the contrary. This flies in the face of norms that assume that political leaders will rebutt incorrect news reports with better facts and evidence, she said.
"If mistakes are made, the president of the United States is better positioned than anyone in the world to clarify and correct the errors -- to counter misinformation with actual, correct information," Jones said. "Cases from the Supreme Court about media freedom envision that this will happen, and they protect the press even when it makes mistakes because of the expectation that government officials will counter any false information with clear, truthful information. Striking out at the press with nothing more than a bald label -- âfake newsâ -- undercuts this central feature of our democracy and places the larger First Amendment framework at risk."
Share The Facts
Donald Trump
President
 
"Look, the media is fake. .. The media is -- really, the word, I think one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with -- is fake."
an interview with Mike Huckabee â Saturday, October 7, 2017
- [Share](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/#sharethefacts)
- [Read More](http://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/)
### Our Sources
TBN, "[Gov. Mike Huckabee's Full Interview with President Trump](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVQPVGPAUtc&feature=youtu.be&t=8m48s)," Oct. 7, 2017
Lawfare, [Video and Transcript: Press Conference by Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner of SSCI on the Russia Probe](https://www.lawfareblog.com/video-and-transcript-press-conference-senators-richard-burr-and-mark-warner-ssci-russia-probe), Oct. 4, 2017
Facebook, [Information Operations and Facebook](https://fbnewsroomus.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/facebook-and-information-operations-v1.pdf), April 27, 2017
Interview with Aly Col὚n, the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Media Ethics at Washington and Lee University, Oct. 17, 2017
Interview with Andrew Seaman, ethics chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, Oct. 17, 2017
Interview with Bruce Johnson, Oct. 13, 2017
Interview with Sonya West, Oct. 16, 2017
Interview with RonNell Andersen Jones, Oct. 14, 2017
Sen. Ben Sasse, "[Sasse to Trump: Are You Recanting of Your Oath?](https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A90374B7-44A6-4BC8-82E2-CE01A9418D6E)" Oct. 12, 2017
## Browse the Truth-O-Meter
### More by Angie Drobnic Holan
slide 4 of 15
[Janet Napolitano](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on August 27, 2013 in a speech at the National Press Club:
[The 2010 DREAM Act failed despite "strong bipartisan support."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/aug/28/janet-napolitano/2010-dream-act-has-strong-bipartisan-support-said-/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠August 28, 2013
[Chain email](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on May 29, 2013 in a chain email:
[Says the word "Dhimmitude" is on page 107 of the health care law and means "Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/may/30/chain-email/dhimmitude-page-107-health-care-law-exempts-muslim/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠May 30, 2013
[Marco Rubio](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on May 3, 2013 in a position on legislation:
[On an early date for Florida's presidential primary](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/may/09/marco-rubio/did-marco-rubio-flip-flop-setting-floridas-preside/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠May 9, 2013
[Joe Biden](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 27, 2020 in a speech:
[Says Amy Coney Barrett âhas a written track record, disagreeing adamantly with the Supreme Courtâs decision to uphold the ACA. In fact, she publicly criticized Chief Justice Robertsâ opinion upholding the law eight years ago.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/28/joe-biden/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court-and-affordable-car/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 28, 2020
[Instagram posts](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 22, 2020 in an Instagram post:
[Like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Amy Coney Barrett has said her âend goal is to end the separation of church and state & build a âKingdom of Godâ in the United States.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/27/instagram-posts/amy-coney-barretts-kingdom-god-comments-ripped-out/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 27, 2020
[Ilhan Omar](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on March 23, 2019 in a speech:
[Says that the Council on American-Islamic Relations was founded in response to 9/11.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/apr/15/ilhan-omar/ilhan-omar-misstates-facts-about-cairs-founding/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠April 15, 2019
[Mike Pence](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 4, 2016 in an interview on "Meet the Press":
[Says Hillary Clinton "wants to increase Syrian refugees to this country by 550 percent."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/sep/04/mike-pence/mike-pence-cites-clinton-support-more-syrian-refug/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 4, 2016
[Antonio Sabato Jr.](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on July 19, 2016 in an interview with ABC News:
[Says President Barack Obama is "absolutely" a Muslim.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jul/19/antonio-sabato-jr/obama-not-absolutely-muslim-rnc-speaker-claims/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠July 19, 2016
[Donald Trump](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on June 22, 2016 in a speech in New York City:
[Says Hillary Clinton "said she was under attack (in Bosnia) but the attack turned out to be young girls handing her flowers."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jun/22/donald-trump/trump-clinton-bosnia-sniper-story/)
By Jon Greenberg ⢠June 22, 2016
[Marco Rubio](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on January 17, 2016 in an interview on "Meet the Press":
[Hostages were released as soon as Ronald Reagan took office because Iran perceived that America was "no longer under the command of someone weak."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jan/17/marco-rubio/rubio-wrongly-credits-reagan-1981-release-hostages/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠January 17, 2016
[Ben Carson](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 27, 2015 in an interview on ABC's "This Week":
["We've had examples like in Yuma County, where we've been able to stop 97 percent of the illegal (immigration) flow, and those programs, they abolish."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/sep/27/ben-carson/ben-carson-claimed-program-let-97-illegal-immigrat/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 27, 2015
[Charlie Crist](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on October 14, 2014 in a campaign ad:
[Says Rick Scott changed his promise from 700,000 jobs created "on top of what normal growth would be" to just 700,000 jobs.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/oct/14/charlie-crist/rick-scott-changed-terms-his-promise-create-700000/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠October 14, 2014
[Charlie Crist](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on March 3, 2014 in in an interview on CNN:
[On the economic stimulus.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/sep/30/charlie-crist/crist-favored-then-opposed-then-favored-economic-s/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 30, 2014
[Americans For Tax Reform](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on April 14, 2014 in in a press release:
["Obama has proposed 442 tax hikes since taking office."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/apr/22/americans-tax-reform/obama-has-proposed-442-tax-hikes-says-anti-tax-gro/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠April 22, 2014
[National Republican Congressional Committee](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on February 12, 2014 in a television ad:
["300,000 Floridians will lose their current health plans" because of Obamacare, a plan Alex Sink supports.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/feb/14/national-republican-congressional-committee/300000-florida-lose-health-plans-more-story/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠February 14, 2014
[Janet Napolitano](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on August 27, 2013 in a speech at the National Press Club:
[The 2010 DREAM Act failed despite "strong bipartisan support."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/aug/28/janet-napolitano/2010-dream-act-has-strong-bipartisan-support-said-/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠August 28, 2013
[Chain email](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on May 29, 2013 in a chain email:
[Says the word "Dhimmitude" is on page 107 of the health care law and means "Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/may/30/chain-email/dhimmitude-page-107-health-care-law-exempts-muslim/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠May 30, 2013
[Marco Rubio](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on May 3, 2013 in a position on legislation:
[On an early date for Florida's presidential primary](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/may/09/marco-rubio/did-marco-rubio-flip-flop-setting-floridas-preside/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠May 9, 2013
[Joe Biden](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 27, 2020 in a speech:
[Says Amy Coney Barrett âhas a written track record, disagreeing adamantly with the Supreme Courtâs decision to uphold the ACA. In fact, she publicly criticized Chief Justice Robertsâ opinion upholding the law eight years ago.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/28/joe-biden/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court-and-affordable-car/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 28, 2020
[Instagram posts](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on September 22, 2020 in an Instagram post:
[Like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Amy Coney Barrett has said her âend goal is to end the separation of church and state & build a âKingdom of Godâ in the United States.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/27/instagram-posts/amy-coney-barretts-kingdom-god-comments-ripped-out/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠September 27, 2020
[Ilhan Omar](https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/oct/18/deciding-whats-fake-medias-definition-fake-news-vs/ "[TITLE HERE]")
stated on March 23, 2019 in a speech:
[Says that the Council on American-Islamic Relations was founded in response to 9/11.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/apr/15/ilhan-omar/ilhan-omar-misstates-facts-about-cairs-founding/)
By Angie Drobnic Holan ⢠April 15, 2019
### The media's definition of fake news vs. Donald Trump's
[Clear](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/)
- 
[Charles Schumer](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/charles-schumer/ "Charles Schumer")
stated on March 17, 2026 in remarks to reporters:
[The SAVE America Act âwould force Americans to register (to vote) only in person, something only 5% of Americans do today."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/19/charles-schumer/voter-registration-save-america-act-in-person/)
By Louis Jacobson ⢠March 19, 2026
- 
[Byron Donalds](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/byron-donalds/ "Byron Donalds")
stated on March 8, 2026 in an interview:
[Florida school districts are the âbiggestâ drivers of increased property taxes.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/19/byron-donalds/school-districts-increase-florida-property-taxes/)
By Samantha Putterman ⢠March 19, 2026
- 
[Social Media](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/social-media/ "Social Media")
stated on March 15, 2026 in social media posts:
[Video shows toddler crying over casket of American service member killed in Iran.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/16/social-media/video-of-toddler-crying-over-us-service-member-kil/)
By Grace Abels ⢠March 16, 2026
- 
[Social Media](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/social-media/ "Social Media")
stated on March 13, 2026 in social media posts:
[An AI video is proof that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dead.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/13/social-media/netanyahu-dead-video-artificial-intelligence/)
By Loreben Tuquero ⢠March 13, 2026
- 
[Chris Wright](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/chris-wright/ "Chris Wright")
stated on March 12, 2026 in an interview with Fox News:
[The U.S. produces âmore oil than we can consume. Weâre a net oil exporter.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/13/chris-wright/us-iran-crude-oil-net-exporter-gas-prices/)
By Louis Jacobson ⢠March 13, 2026
- 
[TikTok posts](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/tiktok-posts/ "TikTok posts")
stated on March 6, 2026 in una publicaciĂłn en TikTok:
[El lĂder de Corea del Norte Kim Jong Un dijo que âningĂşn Dios podrĂĄ proteger a Estados Unidos de nuestras nuevas armasâ.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/12/tiktok-posts/Kim-corea-del-norte-ia-eeuu-dios-armas/)
By Maria Briceùo ⢠March 12, 2026
- 
[X posts](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/tweets/ "X posts")
stated on March 9, 2026 in an X post:
["BREAKING: So the Israeli media reports Itamar BenâGvir died in a 'car crash,' while in fact heâs been obliterated by an Iranian missile strike on his home."](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/11/tweets/Israel-Minister-Ben-Gvir-no-dead/)
By Maria Briceùo ⢠March 11, 2026
- 
[Donald Trump](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/ "Donald Trump")
stated on March 9, 2026 in a press conference:
[Iran âalso has some Tomahawks.â](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/10/donald-trump/trump-tomahawk-missile-iran-school/)
By Louis Jacobson ⢠March 10, 2026
- 
[TikTok posts](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/tiktok-posts/ "TikTok posts")
stated on March 5, 2026 in una publicaciĂłn en TikTok:
[El Presidente de El Salvador Nayib Bukele dijo, âcon las guerras que ha empezado Donald Trump les pido a todos los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos que piensen en salir de ese paĂsâ.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/09/tiktok-posts/nayib-bukele-no-pidio-que-migrantes-salgan-de-eeuu/)
By Maria Briceùo ⢠March 9, 2026
- 
[X posts](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/tweets/ "X posts")
stated on March 1, 2026 in una publicaciĂłn en X:
[âEl rĂŠgimen de IrĂĄn ha confesado que (el Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria IslĂĄmica) bombardeĂł por error⌠una escuela iranĂâ el 28 de febrero.](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/06/tweets/Iran-responsabilidad-Minab-escuela-ataque-EEUU-Isr/)
By Maria Ramirez Uribe ⢠March 6, 2026
[Load more](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/)
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| Readable Markdown | When PolitiFact fact-checks fake news, we are calling out fabricated content that intentionally masquerades as news coverage of actual events.
When President Donald Trump talks about fake news, he means something else entirely.
Instead of fabricated content, Trump uses the term to describe news coverage that is unsympathetic to his administration and his performance, even when the news reports are accurate.
Trump is so taken with the phrase "fake news," that heâs mentioned it at least 153 separate times in interviews, on Twitter and in speeches, according to a count compiled by PolitiFact.
Recently, Trump even took credit for inventing the term. "Look, the media is fake," Trump said in [an interview](https://youtu.be/hVQPVGPAUtc?t=8m48s) with conservative pundit and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "The media is -- really, the word, I think one of the greatest of all terms I've come up with -- is fake. I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years, but I've never noticed it."
In 10 years of fact-checking, we here at PolitiFact have not seen such a yawning chasm between the meaning of words.
PolitiFact has devoted many hours to knocking down fake news: accounts of events that never happened, from the frightening to the frivolous.
Weâve fact-checked whether NASA said the earth would be plunged into darkness for 15 days in November. ([Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jun/14/blog-posting/its-fake-nasa-never-said-earth-will-go-dark-15-day/).) Weâve looked at whether HIV had been detected in bananas sold at Wal-Mart. ([Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/feb/06/cnnews3com/fake-news-claims-walmart-bananas-have-hiv-virus-ar/).) And we looked at whether passers-by came to the aid of comedian Bill Murray when his car broke down in Rochester, N.H. -- or Marion, Ohio; or Shakopee, Minn.; or many other cities. (All [Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/06/blog-posting/celebrity-praise-helpful-locals-are-fake-stories-c/).)
We think itâs worth diving into the differing definitions of fake news between the fact-checkers and the president. Our reporting found that itâs a distinction that has solidified over the months of President Trumpâs tenure. And it has specific implications for language, for a free press and for the First Amendment.
## The fact-checkers and fake news
If you define fake news as fabricated content, then 2016 was the year fake news came into its own. False reports ran rampant on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and they landed at the top of search results on Google and others. PolitiFact named fake news its [Lie of the Year for 2016](https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/dec/13/2016-lie-year-fake-news/), citing fictitious Web posts that were the ultimate election-year clickbait, such as claims that Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump, or that Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS. (Neither of those things is true.)
Since the election, fact-checkers and the public have learned more about fake news. Some people create fake news to make a quick buck off automated advertising in a simple cash-for-clicks formula. Others use fake news for political mischief, such as liberal blogger Christopher Blair who [told PolitiFact](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2017/may/31/If-youre-fooled-by-fake-news-this-man-probably-wro/) he writes fake news to "mess with conservatives." (A typical report: pop star Lady Gaga was arrested for criticizing first lady Melania Trump. [Pants on Fire](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/sep/06/blog-posting/no-lady-gaga-was-not-arrested-criticizing-melania-/).)
Federal investigators, though, have been looking into whether people working on behalf of the Russian government have published or promoted fake news via U.S.-based social media as part of an effort to sow division and undermine democracy.
We donât know much about the specifics of these investigations, and it may be that investigators are looking at actions on social media that include but are not limited to fake news, especially political advertising.
Without discussing details, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee held [a press conference](https://www.lawfareblog.com/video-and-transcript-press-conference-senators-richard-burr-and-mark-warner-ssci-russia-probe) recently to warn that Russia had sought to undermine U.S. elections in 2016 and would likely try again.
"What I will confirm is that the Russian Intelligence Service is determined, clever, and I recommend that every campaign and every election official take this very seriously as we move into this November's election and as we move into preparation for the 2018 election," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., on Oct. 4.
Burr and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said they intended to have a public hearing in November with representatives of the major platforms -- Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, Facebook has engaged with independent fact-checkers -- including PolitiFact -- since December 2016 to fact-check content that users flag as suspicious.
Facebook [published its own report](https://fbnewsroomus.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/facebook-and-information-operations-v1.pdf) in April noting that the term "fake news" has come to refer to a wide variety of factually incorrect content, from inaccurate news to opinion pieces, parodies, hoaxes, rumors and simple misstatements. Facebook prefers the terms "false news" and "disinformation" for inaccurate content that is spread with intent to deceive.
"In brief, we have had to expand our security focus from traditional abusive behavior, such as account hacking, malware, spam and financial scams, to include more subtle and insidious forms of misuse, including attempts to manipulate civic discourse and deceive people," the report concluded.
## Donald Trump and fake news
Since the beginning of 2017, President Trump has invoked the phrase "fake news" on 153 separate occasions. Virtually every instance has been in response to critical news coverage.
Trump has used it when he felt he wasnât getting enough credit for positive actions, such as helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria. "We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates," he said on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914465475777695744).
Heâs used the term after news channels simply reported what he said, such as his comments about white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. "The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself, and the fake news," Trump said at a [campaign-style rally](https://www.c-span.org/video/?432748-1/president-trump-criticizes-dishonest-media-defends-charlottesville-remarks-rally-phoenix&start=3351) in Phoenix.
And heâs used the term repeated when news organizations have covered basic facts about the governmentâs own investigations into Russiaâs influence on the 2016 election. "It is the same Fake News Media that said there is âno path to victory for Trumpâ that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!" Trump said on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/848158641056362496).
Most often, PolitiFact found, his targets have been CNN (23 mentions in 2017) and NBC (19 mentions), followed by the *New York Times* (12 mentions) and the *Washington Post* (eight mentions). We found only one news outlet that had been singled out for praise during his discussions of fake news: Fox News.
Trump is particularly quick to label coverage "fake news" when the reports have unnamed sources, and unnamed sources seem to make Trump the most irate.
Itâs understandable that public figures get angry when theyâre accused of something but they donât know who the source is, said Aly Col὚n, the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Media Ethics at Washington and Lee University.
"If President Trump doesnât believe what is said, then he would believe it is fake, because it doesnât fit into the reality that he accepts," Col὚n said.
When the media uses anonymous sources and Trump labels the stories as fake news, the public doesnât have much recourse for evaluating the evidence for themselves, Col὚n said. That typically means theyâll side with whomever they have the most sympathy with anyway.
"What becomes most prevalent is people are inclined to believe whoever they came to the dance with," Col὚n said. "Until something very obvious and visible contradicts that, theyâre not going to have a very strong basis for accepting things from people they donât trust."
Andrew Seaman, ethics chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, agreed that the use of unnamed sources "allows for people -- from the president to the public -- to sometimes easily wave away the information."
Nevertheless, that doesnât make the stories "fake."
"While I donât like the overuse of anonymous sources, I do have confidence in stories based on those sources from most large news organizations," Seaman said. "My advice to the public is to always consider a news organizationâs history and track record. The *New York Times*, *Washington Post* and others all have scandals in their pasts, but the overwhelming weight of evidence shows their journalism to be reliable and trustworthy."
At times, Trump has seemed to advocate outright censorship in response to negative coverage, as when he reacted to [an NBC report](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/trump-wanted-dramatic-increase-nuclear-arsenal-meeting-military-leaders-n809701) based on anonymous sources that said Trump had wanted an unprecedented and likely impractical increase to the U.S. nuclear arsenal; Trump backed off when his advisers told him it was a bad idea, according to the report. (It was this incident that allegedly spurred Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call Trump a moron -- again, a report based on unnamed sources.)
The NBC report on the nuclear arsenal enraged Trump enough to threaten the network.
"With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!" he tweeted the morning of Oct. 11.
Later that day, when asked about the report on the nuclear arsenal at a press conference, Trump said, "No, I never discussed increasing it. I want it in perfect shape. That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news, lately. ⌠It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it."
## First Amendment implications
Trumpâs comments on revoking licenses prompted one member of Trumpâs own party to question his commitment to the Constitutionâs First Amendment.
"Mr. President: Words spoken by the President of the United States matter," said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a [prepared statement](https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A90374B7-44A6-4BC8-82E2-CE01A9418D6E). "Are you tonight recanting of the oath you took on January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment?"
Other First Amendment advocates described Trumpâs use of the term "fake news" as Orwellian, because it uses words to mean the opposite of their literal definition, as in George Orwellâs dystopian novel 1984.
"It is a characteristic of authoritarian leaders, whether Communist or Nazi, to appropriate ordinary words and declare them to mean the opposite," said Bruce Johnson, a Seattle-based media lawyer. "Repressive regimes hold power by depriving their population of independent thinking and making the masses believe lies."
Trumpâs threats are "simply unprecedented," said Sonja R. West, the Otis Brumby Distinguished Professor of First Amendment Law at the University of Georgia School of Law.
"While other presidents have certainly had their disagreements with particular stories or journalists, they still showed a basic level respect to the press as an institution and acknowledged the important role it plays," West said. "Having the president openly wage war on the press by trying to delegitimize it is extremely concerning."
Finally, Trumpâs "fake news" attacks confuse ideas about what is accurate and what is newsworthy, said RonNell Andersen Jones, a professor of law at the University of Utah who studies the First Amendment and media law.
Trumpâs complaints tend to focus only on labeling the press as fake, rather than offering evidence to the contrary. This flies in the face of norms that assume that political leaders will rebutt incorrect news reports with better facts and evidence, she said.
"If mistakes are made, the president of the United States is better positioned than anyone in the world to clarify and correct the errors -- to counter misinformation with actual, correct information," Jones said. "Cases from the Supreme Court about media freedom envision that this will happen, and they protect the press even when it makes mistakes because of the expectation that government officials will counter any false information with clear, truthful information. Striking out at the press with nothing more than a bald label -- âfake newsâ -- undercuts this central feature of our democracy and places the larger First Amendment framework at risk." |
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