Photos: Mimicking Trump, local officials use 'fake news' as a weapon
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2018, file photo, Gov. Paul LePage delivers the State of the State address to the Legislature at the State House in Augusta, Maine. President Trump’s campaign to discredit the news media has spread to state and local officials, who are echoing his use of the term “fake news” as a weapon against unflattering stories and information that can tarnish their images. LePage, the vice chairman of Trump’s now-disbanded voter fraud commission, a New Mexico congressional candidate and the Georgia secretary of state are among the many politicians who have used the term in recent months in response to news reporting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)[/caption]
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this July 19, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump, with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, left, and Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks at a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Trump’s campaign to discredit the news media has spread to state and local officials, who are echoing his use of the term “fake news” as a weapon against unflattering stories and information that can tarnish their images. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)[/caption]
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018 AND THEREAFTER - In this Thursday, March 1, 2018 photo, Idaho Republican state Rep. Priscilla Giddings sits at the Capitol in Boise. The Idaho lawmaker urges her constituents to send in submissions for her "fake news awards" during the legislative session. Officials at all levels of government are now using the term "fake news" as a weapon against unflattering stories and information that can tarnish their images. Experts on the press and democracy say the cries of “fake news” could do long-term damage by sowing confusion and contempt for journalists, and by undermining the media’s role as a watchdog on government and politicians. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)[/caption]
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018 AND THEREAFTER - In this Thursday, March 1, 2018 photo, Idaho Republican state Rep. Priscilla Giddings sits at the Capitol in Boise. The Idaho lawmaker urges her constituents to send in submissions for her "fake news awards" during the legislative session. Officials at all levels of government are now using the term "fake news" as a weapon against unflattering stories and information that can tarnish their images. Experts on the press and democracy say the cries of “fake news” could do long-term damage by sowing confusion and contempt for journalists, and by undermining the media’s role as a watchdog on government and politicians. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)[/caption]