McCain hits Trump: 'Fake news' rhetoric 'empowers repressive regimes'

Source: The Hill | December 13, 2017 | Brandon Carter

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) slammed President Trump on Wednesday for repeatedly labeling the media as “fake news,” warning it “empowers repressive regimes to jail reporters and silence the truth.”

In a tweet, he shared a new report that finds a record number of journalists were imprisoned in 2017.

“.@pressfreedom’s annual report shows record # of journalists imprisoned worldwide in 2017, including 21 on “fake news” charges,” McCain tweeted. “@POTUS must understand his harmful rhetoric only empowers repressive regimes to jail reporters & silence the truth.”

The report, compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, found that 262 journalists worldwide have been imprisoned this year in retaliation over their work.

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A Politico report last week found that authoritarian leaders in countries including Turkey, Syria, Venezuela and the Phillippines have used the phrase “fake news” to delegitimize the media in their own countries.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Politico at the time their report was “really ridiculous.”

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