SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
As has been the case throughout his presidency, The Hill tends to take everything Trump and his allies say at face value, sharing their statements repeatedly without indicating whether they're actually true. (Photo: Ceci Freed / Media Matters | Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons)
The Hill Can't Stop Spreading Misinformation About Trump's Impeachment
The site’s social media strategy sows confusion and spreads lies.
Dec 19, 2019
President Donald Trump lies. A lot. On topics big and small, consequential and petty, Trump can't seem to help himself from saying things that are just flat-out disconnected from reality. The Washington Post's running total as of December 10 is 15,413 false or misleading claims from the president since he took office. By the time you read this, that number will likely have inched higher. He will lie tomorrow just as he lies today, just as he lied yesterday.
While there isn't much journalists and news outlets can do to make him tell the truth--especially since he tends to grant his interviews to friendly outlets--there's something they can do to stop his lies from infecting the public consciousness. Namely, the press can stop printing lies free from context.
The Hill's coverage of Trump's Ukraine scandal--specifically, its tweets on the topic--has helped the president spread false narratives for his own benefit.
In May, Media Matters published a study highlighting how frequently major news outlets amplify Trump's lies on Twitter. While we found that nearly every outlet we considered was guilty in some form or another, none pumped out the president's false talking points with more regularity than The Hill. (A follow-up study we published this month again found The Hill to be the worst offender at amplifying Trump misinformation.)
Earlier this week, Trump conducted a rally in Michigan while the House of Representatives was voting to impeach the president over the Ukraine abuse of power scandal. In response, The Hill did what it always does: Promote the president's spin about the events without any context, pushback, or attempt to assess the validity of what he was saying.
As has been the case throughout his presidency, The Hill tends to take everything Trump and his allies say at face value, sharing their statements repeatedly without indicating whether they're actually true. Promoting Trump's impeachment spin at this Michigan rally was nothing new for the outlet. Here's just a small sample of recent misinformation about the Ukraine saga boosted by the Hill without context or clarification.
Read the full story, with examples, at Media Matters for America.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Media Matters for America
Parker Molloy
Parker Molloy is an editor at large at Media Matters, where she has worked since September 2018. She has a bachelor's degree in arts, entertainment, and media management from Columbia College Chicago. She previously worked at Upworthy as a senior writer.
President Donald Trump lies. A lot. On topics big and small, consequential and petty, Trump can't seem to help himself from saying things that are just flat-out disconnected from reality. The Washington Post's running total as of December 10 is 15,413 false or misleading claims from the president since he took office. By the time you read this, that number will likely have inched higher. He will lie tomorrow just as he lies today, just as he lied yesterday.
While there isn't much journalists and news outlets can do to make him tell the truth--especially since he tends to grant his interviews to friendly outlets--there's something they can do to stop his lies from infecting the public consciousness. Namely, the press can stop printing lies free from context.
The Hill's coverage of Trump's Ukraine scandal--specifically, its tweets on the topic--has helped the president spread false narratives for his own benefit.
In May, Media Matters published a study highlighting how frequently major news outlets amplify Trump's lies on Twitter. While we found that nearly every outlet we considered was guilty in some form or another, none pumped out the president's false talking points with more regularity than The Hill. (A follow-up study we published this month again found The Hill to be the worst offender at amplifying Trump misinformation.)
Earlier this week, Trump conducted a rally in Michigan while the House of Representatives was voting to impeach the president over the Ukraine abuse of power scandal. In response, The Hill did what it always does: Promote the president's spin about the events without any context, pushback, or attempt to assess the validity of what he was saying.
As has been the case throughout his presidency, The Hill tends to take everything Trump and his allies say at face value, sharing their statements repeatedly without indicating whether they're actually true. Promoting Trump's impeachment spin at this Michigan rally was nothing new for the outlet. Here's just a small sample of recent misinformation about the Ukraine saga boosted by the Hill without context or clarification.
Read the full story, with examples, at Media Matters for America.
Parker Molloy
Parker Molloy is an editor at large at Media Matters, where she has worked since September 2018. She has a bachelor's degree in arts, entertainment, and media management from Columbia College Chicago. She previously worked at Upworthy as a senior writer.
President Donald Trump lies. A lot. On topics big and small, consequential and petty, Trump can't seem to help himself from saying things that are just flat-out disconnected from reality. The Washington Post's running total as of December 10 is 15,413 false or misleading claims from the president since he took office. By the time you read this, that number will likely have inched higher. He will lie tomorrow just as he lies today, just as he lied yesterday.
While there isn't much journalists and news outlets can do to make him tell the truth--especially since he tends to grant his interviews to friendly outlets--there's something they can do to stop his lies from infecting the public consciousness. Namely, the press can stop printing lies free from context.
The Hill's coverage of Trump's Ukraine scandal--specifically, its tweets on the topic--has helped the president spread false narratives for his own benefit.
In May, Media Matters published a study highlighting how frequently major news outlets amplify Trump's lies on Twitter. While we found that nearly every outlet we considered was guilty in some form or another, none pumped out the president's false talking points with more regularity than The Hill. (A follow-up study we published this month again found The Hill to be the worst offender at amplifying Trump misinformation.)
Earlier this week, Trump conducted a rally in Michigan while the House of Representatives was voting to impeach the president over the Ukraine abuse of power scandal. In response, The Hill did what it always does: Promote the president's spin about the events without any context, pushback, or attempt to assess the validity of what he was saying.
As has been the case throughout his presidency, The Hill tends to take everything Trump and his allies say at face value, sharing their statements repeatedly without indicating whether they're actually true. Promoting Trump's impeachment spin at this Michigan rally was nothing new for the outlet. Here's just a small sample of recent misinformation about the Ukraine saga boosted by the Hill without context or clarification.
Read the full story, with examples, at Media Matters for America.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.