It’s no secret that President Trump detests what he calls the “fake news” media – those mainstream outlets that have judged him harshly ever since he launched his candidacy. Many figures in the mainstream media detest Trump as well.
So the president is planning to have a little fun with his favorite sparring partner. He took to Twitter Tuesday to announce he would present the “most dishonest and corrupt media awards of the year” Monday at 5 p.m. He said subjects would cover “dishonesty” and “bad reporting” in various categories:
I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
This comes only about a month after Trump initially mused about a “fake news trophy” contest among the major networks:
We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017
After that late November tweet, a Rasmussen poll found 40 percent of voters believed Fox News should win this “fake news trophy,” despite the president’s suggestion Fox not be included in the contest. CNN came in second with 25 percent, followed by MSNBC (9 percent), ABC (4 percent), CBS (3 percent) and NBC (2 percent).
Fox News was the clear winner among Democrats (53 percent), but CNN was the winner among Republicans (40 percent).
Regardless of party, however, most Americans see fake news as a problem. Sixty-five percent of likely U.S. voters in the Rasmussen poll considered it a big problem, with 42 percent considering it a very big one.
In a separate Rasmussen poll, conducted in August, nearly half of all voters said they felt the media was actively trying to block Trump’s agenda. Another August poll found nearly half of voters also believed it was not possible for Trump to do anything the media would approve of.
And an October Politico/Morning Consult poll found almost half of voters believe the news media make up stories about Trump and his administration.
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