Apparel bearing President Trump’s campaign slogan and a quote similar to his comment smearing CNN as “very fake news” are being sold by a journalism…
Apparel bearing President Trump’s campaign slogan and a quote similar to his comment smearing CNN as “very fake news” are being sold by a journalism museum in Washington, D. C., triggering complaints Friday in light of the president’s ongoing anti-press rhetoric.
“Make America Great Again” hats and “You Are Very Fake News” shirts are both sold online by the Newseum, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies first reported, raising eyebrows given the museum’s claim of being “dedicated to the importance of a free press and the First Amendment.”
On the heels of Mr. Trump recently calling journalists the “enemy of the people,” several remembers of the media slammed the Newseum for selling merchandise amplifying the president’s attacks.
Broadcast journalist Jim Heath said that selling the items was “ disgusting,” and Pete Souza, a former White House photographer during the Obama administration, called it a “ disgrace .”
“As a nonpartisan organization, people with differing viewpoints feel comfortable visiting the Newseum, and one of our greatest strengths is that we’re champions not only of a free press but also of free speech,” Sonya Gavankar, the museum’s director of public relations, explained to Poynter.
“Of course, we’re well aware of the political temperature in the country, but we will continue to be a nonpartisan organization that champions the rights of all to free speech,” Ms. Gavankar told NBC News.
Justin Fenton, a crime reporter for The Baltimore Sun, disputed the Newseum’s explanation, tweeting: “The fact that it’s antithetical to the Newseum’s mission is the issue. The baseball Hall of Fame doesn’t sell ‘baseball sucks’ shirts.”
The phrase “fake news” emerged during the 2016 U. S. presidential race to describe the flux of completely false and/or wildly misleading articles shared on social media, but Mr. Trump and his supporters have since adopted it to describe mainstream media coverage critical of his administration.
Addressing CNN reporter Jim Acosta during a 2017 news conference, Mr. Trump said he was stop labeling the network “fake news” in lieu of using a new term, “very fake news.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly described legitimate reporters as both “fake news” and the “enemy of the American people,” drawing rebuke Thursday from the Human Rights Office of the High Commission.
“These attacks run counter to the country’s obligations to respect press freedom and international human rights law,” UN experts said in a statement.
