They are building up the wave already. With the election season ramping up you knew the collective press corps was going to be standing on the accusation throttle with both feet regarding misinformation. This effort is the journalism industry’s primary tool in managing the narratives; they try to label any uncomfortable news or items favorable to the right side of politics as “misinformation” more freely than those “I did that!” stickers slapped on gas pumps. 

This opening salvo is delivered by NBC News and its “disinformation-extremism” correspondent, Brandy Zadrozny. Her report, citing experts, scientists, and other learned sources, focuses entirely on “threats” coming from the right of center. Donald Trump, election denialism, and Fox News figure prominently, and there is zero surprise that there is no concern leveled towards any person or entity on the left. The comedic value can be seen in the opening paragraph.

Disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracy in the United States in 2024, according to researchers, technologists and political scientists. 

Of course, this pearl-clutching claim can only be made by ignoring the massive dose of misinformation we saw just one general election ago. That was when an accurate news report about Hunter Biden’s laptop was falsely called misinformation, while at the same time, a completely baseless letter from 51 members of the intelligence community heavily implying the story was planted by Russia was referenced instead. This was not a particular news source delivering bad reporting; both instances were practiced across a wide spectrum of news outlets, and it directly impacted the election that November.

Those examples alone cancel out any use of the term “unprecedented.”

Journalists such as Ms. Zadrozny need to hype and holler about misinformation for the very reason that it is her job duty. This is not to say it does not exist, but she needs to keep it prominent and in the news for the sake of job security. But this also leads to the paradox of her realm: If misinformation is not only a problem but one growing in stature to the point of threatening democracy, does that not mean she is ineffective at her designated job?

The trick journalists feel they have in their favor is that they, and they alone, get to dictate what is “misinformation,” so they think. Once they apply that Scarlet Term to a news item, they become justified in slanting their coverage. That exclusivity in the labeling means, just as seen in her piece, only one side is accused of this nefarious practice. Her own industry pushing out false stories is rarely addressed, and even on the rare occasions it is noted, there is no broader commentary on how the news outlets are threatening democracy.

To see the falsehoods delivered by the legacy media, we do not need to reach all the way back to the distant past of…the last election. It is taking place today. CBS News comes out with a report on comments made by Donald Trump in New Hampshire on the cusp of that state’s primary. The dark irony is that CBS contends Trump was again delivering fake news by saying Democrats are looking to infiltrate the primary and swing results in favor of Nikki Haley.

Fmr. Pres. Trump's closing message to New Hampshire voters contained falsehoods about the upcoming primary election, including a baseless claim that Democrats are planning to "infiltrate" the primary to support Nikki Haley. https://t.co/Ik54uPuFLE

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 19, 2024

It’s not even veiled language or concepts alluded; CBS Reporter Jacob Rosen says these are “falsehoods,” “baseless,” and “MISINFORMATION.” So yes, CBS News is right there as well, looking to set the stage for fraudulent behavior regarding the election. The Problem? CBS News is engaging in fraudulent behavior regarding this election. The news outlet is accusing Trump of lying about something that is actually taking place. It has been reported this week that in the long-used political practice, some Democrats changed their party designation because, in New Hampshire, they hold open primaries that allow independents to vote.

So, despite these realities in place, there are two things you can be assured the press will not do. One is never admitting Trump was correct about something or delivering information that could cast him in a positive light. The other is holding themselves accountable for violating the very standards they shriek about. It is for this very reason the media complex is undermining itself on a regular basis.