July 24, 2019

How (Actual) Fake News Is the (Actual) Enemy of the People

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-louisiana-police-death-threat-fake-news-862260/?fbclid=IwAR2kwjcUAY7zwRFMgmSgjKM0hO5nPfuonBrKFyPYaPdhM3aKCBjzGFljXwA
"Though the president’s definition of fake news is anything that paints him in an unflattering light, actual fake news reports — intentional falsehoods and other inventions disguised as reporting — are resulting in threats to the American people. In the wake of his attacks last week against Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), a police officer from Grenta, Louisiana, wrote on Facebook that Ocasio-Cortez needs to be shot. He was responding to a web item claiming Ocasio-Cortez said “we pay soldiers too much,” in reference to the budget. (Ocasio-Cortez said no such thing. The site responsible repeatedly publishes unsupported or outright false stories, sometimes as news reports and sometimes under the guise of “satire.”) But Charlie Rispoli, who had served on the Grenta police force for 14 years, cited the cite when he suggested shooting Ocasio-Cortez: “This vile idiot needs a round……..and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve,” he wrote. (Nola.com obtained a screenshot of Rispoli’s post.) On Monday, Rispoli was fired, along Angelo Varisco, another officer who liked the post. “This incident, we feel, has been an embarrassment to our department,” Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson said at a news conference. “These officers have certainly acted in a manner which was unprofessional, alluding to a violent act to be conducted against a sitting U.S. congressman, a member of our government. We’re not going to tolerate that.” Earlier on Monday, Ocasio-Cortez referenced the threat in calling out the president for inciting violence. “This is Trump’s goal when he uses targeted language & threatens elected officials who don’t agree w/ his political agenda,” she tweeted. “It’s authoritarian behavior. The President is sowing violence. He’s creating an environment where people can get hurt & he claims plausible deniability"."