Amazon CEO donates $1 million for the Freedom of Press
Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO donated $1 million to the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press. It's the biggest gift from any individual this organization has received since it was founded in 1970. Reporters Committee chairman David Boardman said this fund would go to support " many more news organizations and to expand our services to independent journalists, non-profit newsrooms, and documentary filmmakers."
'Fake News'- A tradition of centuries?
'Fake News' is any news on state-funded/private fraudulent websites that is not just incorrect but planted to win support and confuse the people. From Julius Caesar to Stalin, biased state media (later termed as propaganda) was employed to win allies and confound enemies.
'Fake News'- Not harmless and fun, it's posing serious concerns
'Fake News' is most widely circulated through Facebook which has an audience of 1.8 billion. BuzzFeed analysis found that "fake news stories drew more shares/engagement" than the reports from Washington Post, New York Times, and CNN in the final 3 months of US Presidential elections. It went on to say that Trump's win was largely influenced by Trump supporters' belief in 'fake news'.
Trump's war against the Forth Estate- the Free Press
Bad publicity, negative stories about himself have led US President Donald Trump to call media the "enemy of the people." Trump attacks the press openly, going after journalists with insults and innuendos coupled with cries of "fake news." Many believe that White House's drive to weaken the media is a part of a greater strategy to incapacitate critics.
Why Trump's 'fake news' policy is dangerous?
The President's disregard for the role of the press and the public's right to information isn't just worrisome but dangerous. Trump's message is clear: dissenters will be shunted and unfavorable coverage punished. However, when the President of America calls the country's media outlets as spiteful frauds and equates news to 'fake news', he could be undermining democracy.
76 attacks on freedom of press since Trump became President
PEN America in its evaluation of 'Free Expression in the President's First 100 Days' revealed that since he was elected President, there have been 76 instances of White House attacks on the press.
eBay founder pledges to give $100 million for press freedom
Pierre Omidyar, eBay's founder announced that he would be donating $100 million to support investigative journalism and to combat 'fake news'. The funds will be allocated over the coming 3 years through the Omidyar Network, the nonprofit investment firm founded by him in 2004 Much of this $100 million will go to countries outside America where there is a bigger threat to freedom of the press.
