PD Editorial: White House terrorism list is fake news

With his ubiquitous tweets and cryptic comments, it’s hard to keep up with all of the president’s messages. But one statement and purported supporting documentation provided by White House staff deserves special attention. On Monday, during an address to U.S. Central Command, the president made what was truly a startling claim. He said the news media was intentionally covering up reports of terrorist attacks.

“It’s gotten to a point where (terrorism) is not even being reported,” he said. “And in many cases the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that.”

This was not a tweet or an off-hand remark. It was part of an address to leaders of the force responsible for security and stability in the most volatile part of the world - a 20-country region that includes Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. The president essentially was telling these military leaders that they could not count on the fact that the terrorist attacks that they are fighting - and, in some cases dying - to prevent would be covered in their hometown newspapers or on television.

Although he never explained why, the president’s remarks were consistent with comments he has made before. And they were similar to one made by senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on MSNBC a week ago. “I bet it’s brand-new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre,” she said. “Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”

Yes, it’s true that “the Bowling Green massacre” was not covered. That’s because it never happened. Conway later acknowledged as much, but the damage was done. A Public Policy Poll last week showed that by a 51 percent to 23 percent margin, Trump voters say that the Bowling Green Massacre shows why Trump’s immigration policy is needed.

When pressed to explain what attacks the president was referring to on Monday, White House officials issued a list that included 78 attacks by Islamic extremists since September 2014. What makes this case all the more absurd is that the attacks on the list were, in fact, covered. All of them. Many were so well reported the details are still fresh and painful. They include the terror attacks in Paris in late 2015 that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded; the attack in San Bernardino a month later where 14 people were killed; the truck attack in Nice in July that claimed the lives of 84 people; and the nightclub attack in Orlando in June that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded.

As CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta said, “This appears to be a talking point in search of a set of facts that just doesn’t exist.”

Press Secretary Sean Spicer walked back the president’s comments, saying the terror attacks “aren’t exactly covered to a degree on which they should be.” But he failed to identify which of those on the list were underreported. White House officials also have yet to explain why the media would be, as alleged, complicit in not reporting such information.

Here’s the reason. Because it’s not true.

On Tuesday night, 45 students in a communications class at Sonoma State University sought to define “fake news.” Their definition: “A news report published or released with knowledge of its falsehood or willful disregard for its accuracy and with the intent to deceive the public.”

By that definition, what the White House put out last week was certainly fake news - or at least fodder for it. Further, by issuing the list and trying to justify the president’s comments, Spicer and others on the White House staff were complicit in promulgating this fiction.

Of course, this is not the only example of dubious POTUS reports, but it’s further proof of an administration that has made clear that accuracy and credibility are low priorities. And that’s not lost on the public. The same Public Policy Poll found that voters, by a 48 percent to 43 percent margin, say that Saturday Night Live has more credibility than Trump. Small wonder. SNL is also fake, but at least it’s funny.