More on fake news

To The Eagle:

Last week’s editorial in these pages was an enigmatic oxymoronic paradox. How else would you describe a piece of fake news protesting fake news? The fake news beast is like Hercules’ Hydra – cut off one head and two appear in its place. One manifestation is the Charlottesville incident in which the president, referring to the originating kerfuffle over a Confederate statue, remarked that there were “good people on both sides” and got pilloried for an imagined defense of white supremacists. Another is expressing outrage over the president’s often humorous derisive appellations: “Crooked Hillary” or “Rocket Man” for Kim Jong-un.

Then there’s negative fake news, not reporting or “damning with faint praise” the vast array of Trump’s accomplishments. And, bait-and-switch tactics like raising a stink over separation of families of illegal immigrants, which is required by law and was done by the Obama administration in even greater numbers. That was a bait-and-switch because it was done solely to distract the public from breakthroughs in the so-called Russia collusion case which turns out to be a degree of collusion and conspiracy betwixt a couple of dozen high-ranking officials in State, Justice, FBI, Intelligence, & IRS, to exonerate Hillary from her various crimes and defeat Trump. Firings and security clearance revocations have begun, and some indictments may be in the pipeline, but the mainstream media has been silent or evasive on the subject. Through all this Trump has fought back using Twitter and rallies (the modern version of Teddy Roosevelt’s “bully pulpit”) and appropriately left the investigation and action to Congress, and his (ineffectual) attorney general.

The editorial we were treated to last week is a revoltin’ development in and of itself, a collusive nationwide effort. This exemplar of magical thinking was launched by the Boston Globe which called for cloned anti-Trump commentary on fake news across the country last week, and 400 newspapers complied, bringing back fond memories of Pravda. The LA times famously refused to participate, but simultaneously whined about Trump’s dastardly behavior. Our editor/publisher pulled a Pontius Pilate hand-washing maneuver, printing a guest editorial by Fred Obee, director of the Washington Newspaper Publishing Association.

Local artist and philosopher Mike Swift pointed out in these pages early last year that Wahkiakum County heavily supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election and therefore deserves less biased coverage from our local paper – a refreshing observation then, and vitally appropriate now.

Howard Brawn

Puget Island