A new poll from Quinnipiac University finds that most Americans disapprove of how the media cover President Donald Trump, a function of a majority of independents disapproving of that coverage. Among Republicans, though, nearly 9 in 10 disapprove of the media coverage. Most Americans also disapprove of how President Trump talks about the media.
In a speech to veterans, President Donald Trump said, “Just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” What President Trump is doing is asking listeners to join him in his carefully-crafted bubble, a space where information that conflicts with what President Trump asserts or with what President Trump believes is untrustworthy, intentionally false or simply doesn’t exist.
It is heartening to see the Federal Communications Commission’s unanimous decision to designate the $3.9 billion Sinclair Broadcasting acquisition of Tribune Media for administrative review. Although unaccustomed to praising the Trump FCC, I believe this is an excellent decision. What happens next is worrisome, however, especially since President Donald Trump decided to tweet about the FCC’s decision. The tweet would seem to signal to Sinclair not to withdraw the transaction (a typical reaction to a designation for a hearing).
While highly ideological members of Congress tend to use their Facebook posts to criticize political opponents and support their allies, moderate lawmakers are more likely to concentrate on local issues in their outreach on the platform. For the average moderate legislator, about 54% of a member’s Facebook posts discussed places, groups, individuals or events in the politician’s state or district.
Facebook officials said the company is using a range of techniques including artificial intelligence to counter Russian operatives or others who use deceptive tactics and false information to manipulate public opinion. The officials told reporters in a telephone briefing they expected to find such efforts on the social network ahead of the US mid-term elections in November, but declined to disclose whether they have already uncovered any such operations.
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