Fake News and Journalists

Donald Trump, the current president of the United States of America uses the term "fake news"  He spouts off the term when referring to any news organization of journalist that

doesn't agree with him, or questions him at all.

As a result, his followers claim that all news is fake and there are no such thing as a journalist.

It offends me that anyone believes the claims of Trump.  But it also baffles me how anyone can believe in Donald Trump.

He is rude, crude and dishonest.  He takes credit for things he has nothing to do with.  He blames others for anything that he thinks might make him look bad.   He shouldn't worry.  He looks bad all the time. 

A high school student was given the assignment to research and write about a journalist.  When she asked her parents for guidance, their response was  "there are no journalists" .  Her parents also believe that there is no such thing as "news", it is all fake.

I am disturbed and insulted that anyone can boast of such an ignorant attitude.    

I do believe that different news sources have different views on what is happening in the world, or even in their particular part of the world.    But facts are facts.  Some might see their facts from a conservative point of view or a liberal; point of view.   Ideally the stories should be reported from an objective point of view.  

'Just the facts m'am.

My mother in law was a journalist.  She traveled with Pat Nixon, wife of the then president, Richard Nixon.    My mother in law was a fairly liberal Democrat.    She did not write her opinions of the president.  She did not write about anything political when she wrote about her travels with Mrs. Nixon.  My mother in law wrote about the trip:  the purpose or the trip, where the trip was and what Mrs.  Nixon did.  It was news.  Not "fake news" 

I guess I am a bit wound up because I know that my mother in law was a real journalist and an honest person with integrity.

My daughter is also a journalist.  Some years ago she covered a school shooting in a rural Oregon town.    When she was at the town where the shooting took place, my daughter spoke with the gun club and went to the firing range.  She shot at targets with an automatic gun (M 16?) because she wanted to understand what she was writing about so she could write honestly.

I am proud of my journalist daughter.   In fact I am proud of all of my children.  They are all honest people with care and concern for others, and integrity.

Here's my daughter:

Courtney Sherwood

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Courtney Sherwood fills in as editor and producer in a number of web and broadcast roles at Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Outside of OPB, she also reports for magazines, newspapers and online publications. Courtney was previously business and features editor at The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington. She also worked as a reporter at The Portland Business Journal and other publications in the Pacific Northwest and in Virginia.

She received a Wharton Business Journalists Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Courtney graduated with a degree in English from Grinnell College, where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper and hosted a news program on the community radio station KDIC.