The Danger with Donald: A Journalistic Copy, by Lauren Barton

The spread of misinformation is on the rise.

This is becoming even more worrisome as the world is now combatting the threat of a full-scale war. It is now more important than ever that the news that citizens have access to is accurate and true.

It can be said that so called ‘fake news’ has grown in prevalence in recent years. There have been certain events that seem to have made it increase at an alarmingly rapid rate. One of these being the 2016 race for presidency in the United States (US). The spread of misinformation during any election increases. However, scandal after scandal in the country may have left the voters not only confused, but also misinformed. Worryingly, one of the biggest contributors to ‘fake news’ was Donald Trump and his campaign team. This had a devastating effect on the US, and it cannot be denied that it contributed to the harrowing riots that occurred at the US capitol in January 2021. Trumps' wildest fake news beliefs include the shocking notion that there was voter fraud committed in the election that he lost to Joe Biden in 2020/21. This led to capitol riots which he incited, leading to fatalities on both sides of the political scale.

Among his falsehoods, the claim that former President Barack Obama is not an American citizen, Trump went as far as to demand proof and for Obama to disclose his birth certificate with the world. In addition to his bizarre discoveries, Trump also promoted an idea that vaccines can cause disabilities such as Autism, a dangerous fabrication spread at a time where a deadly virus was consuming the world. In a powerful and influential position, Trump spread these falsifications on a wide scale and were believed by almost anyone who supported his delusions.

Refusing to accept the Covid-19 vaccine was popular amongst many Americans, and some maintain the refusal to wear a mask as it seemingly breaches their rights. Even infected, conspiracy theorists failed to isolate and further spread the contagious disease. It’s not surprising then, that the US was home to the highest infection and death rates amid the pandemic.

Donald Trump, a master culprit in the spread of disinformation, even has articles dedicated to his worst ‘fake news moments.’ Trumps looming presence on social media platform Twitter only made matters worse, and ultimately ended in his tweets being censored for the false facts being shared. Now, Donald Trump is permanently banned from Twitter, with the hopes of saving the public from mass disinformation sharing. Right-wing political sites were prevalent in the tweets, and although not directly misinformation, these sites held some rather insane conspiracy theories.

When engaging in conversations about misinformation and its contributors, one name seems to emerge often, Donald Trump. For a man who is supposed to represent one of the most powerful countries in the world and act as Chief Legislator, he continually made fake claims during his run for presidency, this seemed to work in his favour as it appeared he successfully fooled voters bagging the title of President with ease. Has the rampant spread of fake news caused people to turn a blind eye to this man’s lies?

With billions of social media users and the vast amount of content made available online, the line between fact and false is blurred. It’s true that many access their news through the internet and social media platforms. But, has this new way to engage in media endangered the factual reporting we know and trust? News should only be taken from verified sources, not your timeline.