This Might Be The Start of Something Big!
Let’s decide once and for all what Fake News really is. Remember when it was easy to tell the difference?
Well, now it can be a little harder but one thing is for sure — news is not fake simply because a Republican doesn’t like it.
And somebody is standing up to them.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in Colorado is accusing state Sen. Ray Scott of defamation and threatening to sue. If filed, legal experts said it would be the first suit of its kind, potentially setting a legal definition for what is considered fake news and what is not.
The Sentinel published an editorial asking that the state senator go forward on bill to make it easier to obtain public records. The senator did not take kindly to some damn body making legitimate requests.
Scott took issue with the column on Twitter. “We have our own fake news in Grand Junction,” Scott tweeted.
Boy Howdy, Sen. Ray Scott just poked the wrong publisher. He’s says he gonna take a few days to cool down but he damn well might sue. A lawyer who has represented the Sentinel before has a say, too.
“We are seeing a trend, not just here in Colorado, but that politicians for a variety of reasons have taken to calling very legitimate media entities — whether it be The New York Times, The Washington Post or CNN — fake news,” he said. “It’s intended to delegitimize those sources for news.”
Oh, this might be fun.
Thanks to Brad for the heads up.
I’ll take two to one it goes nowhere…
1Remember when if you didn’t like somebody you called him a Commie? It was supposed to delegitimize them. Well, that kind of died off from overkill. But right now I am damn glad to see a newspaper rare up on its hind legs and fight back with the front legs! Good luck to them!
2The legitimate media, meaning any media not influenced by the so-called media mogul Rupert Murdoch, needs a GoFundMe site so everyone can pitch in money to help.
3It seems like it wouldn’t be that hard to prove defamation if a news story is called fake by a politician. Almost everything is recorded or on twitter these days. The best a politician could muster is that they were confused about the issue and made an erroneous comment.
Which in the long run might be worse for the politician, than for a newspaper to be called fake.
4You’re right JJ. This could be great fun. You call it fake news. Fine. PROVE IT! Welcome to Law 101! And I hope they do persue it and win even if they only get $1 and a public apology. It sets a precedence.
5I hope he go’s for it. Print the truth and start a recall of the liar.
6Grand Junction is a good place to start as any.
JJ, once again you demonstrated what a public service this joint provides by showing us all what REAL fake news is. The kind that catches you off guard in the checkout line and you laugh/snort so hard you have to wipe your nose. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got the copy of the Sun laying around somewhere that proves that Dick Chaney is an evil robot by putting his picture on the cover, shirtless, with the belly hatch open, revealing the machinery within. Classic. But Hillary’s leg man quote is purty awesome too.
7It’s not that hard to tell. Does it come from Faux, Breitbart, Info Wars, FRC, etc? It’s fake.
See. That wasn’t so hard.
8I actually remember the one about Hilary adopting an alien baby. As I recall, the front page also said a nursery had been set up in the White House, and may have teased ‘photos inside’.
Musta missed the 3-breasted intern (sounds like a new Arctic bird species!).
9Wow! A triple breasted intern! Sounds like someone is reading the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. At least those fake news stories were fun.
10As for the Rep, he needs to get a life. I do hope that the paper involved sues the daylights out of him. Perhaps that will put an end the fake news. The only thing rethugs know is money. Separating them from some of it will be entertaining.
I’ve just moved to CO (from MA) and folks here don’t take kindly to that sort of effrontery (my liberal-ass word, not theirs).
On the other hand, he may have just been playing CJ’s game of threatening to sue anybody who displeases him.
Scott is the same craven Senator who ducked out early from his latest town hall meeting when people dared to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing with all the repeal Obamacare crap.
I expect he’ll entirely miss the irony when he pleads the 1st Amendment.
11Opinionated Hussy- you need to contact Wickersham’s Conscience. He photographs every bird species in Alaska and elsewhere. He might be interested in knowing there could be a species he’s never heard of.
His photos are breathtaking and can be seen here,if you like,
Frozen Feather Images.
I believe Colorado[s AG is a wingnut so that means there ain’t a crime a wingnut can commit that will be prosecuted.
12Cable news could put an end to “fake news” by simply not inviting SkullAnus Wrongway and the other Donnie surrogates on to spread their lies and venom. What if Donnie gave a presser and nobody came?
13Someone.
Please, someone…
Please tell me that the 2020 election campaigns haven’t started already, that it’s “fake news”. 45 I guess has stated he is already… doing… *IT*!!!
I just can’t cope any more… 🙁
14It is true that President Trump filed a letter on Inauguration Day, 20 January 2017, notifying the Federal Elections Commission that he has met the legal threshold for filing for reelection in 2020 (though the letter says that it is not a formal candidate announcement).
15To truly appreciate the significance of this story, you need to realize that Grand Junction is very conservative, and 2/3 Republican.
http://www.homefacts.com/politics/Colorado/Mesa-County/Grand-Junction.html
See?
A lot of GOP legislators around the country are finding out that when they try Trumping the home crowd, That Shit Don’t Fly.
16When it comes to “fake news” it is true that only the stupid, gullible, and intellectually lazy buy it.
I went to Breitbart (yeah….) to read a story about Milo Y’s recent resignation and dipped into the comments. What a cesspool of stoopid. One commenter railed about arms sales to Kenya which proves Obama to be a traitor. Only one problem; the president can’t sell arms to anyone. He can approve the terms of a sale but that sale must also be approved by Congress. Although Obama did approve, no Congressional action has been taken. But, the Trump administration has approved Obama’s approval and sent that to Congress. It is now being debated.
That’s the whole story. Easily obtained when you know the Google beyond gun sales, truck sales, beer sales and porn.
17@Lunargent #16- Just as accurate and quicker to say Grand Junction is the West slope satellite of Colorado Springs.Scott’s threatened suit is going nowhere. I doubt that it ever gets beyond the threat stage.
18The Rethugs are so busy castigating the legitimate news organizations, they forgot to be embarrassed when Dump’s phony story about the terrorism in Sweden was traced back to the most dishonest outfit around: Fox News!
19Jane & PKM, when you write “SkullAnus Wrongway”, it reminds me of an SNL routine that included Amy Poehler. She was one of 3-4 southern belles waiting at the plantation to greet Colonel Angus. He arrived and the belles chatted with Colonel Angus at length, Southern drawls running the 2 words of his name together so it sounded like an oral sex act.
If you remember the famous 1980s (I think) sketch about a PBS cooking show in which Alec Baldwin brought a plate of his “Schweddy Balls,” you’ll know what I’m talking about.
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