written by: Eleanor Cwik
Hey guys! So I am up to write the Fake News Report...and I think by now you guys get the point. It is always important to check where and from whom your news is coming from. The source’s intentions can be best found by knowing who is doing the writing and for what purpose. In later weeks we can dissect fishy articles and find the truth behind them, but this week I thought it would be interesting to enjoy an article from an intentionally lying and misleading source: The Onion.
The Onion is a satirical news source that produces “fake” stories to make light of American politics. In later years, the left-winged digital media company has focused their attention to making fun of right-winged politics and politicians. This “news source” is an outlet for democratic frustrations with not only the republican party, but the U.S. government as a whole. The satirical commentary is very funny and very well-written, so that if you didn’t know better, you may just think the reports were real. While the onion is very upfront about their satirical articles, their existence has brought awareness to the ease of spreading false messages. If you look at the site, you honestly might not see many differences between a real news source and this site. It looks professional, well-run, and informational. The Onion has been up and running since 1996, which contributes to it well-informed, and put together look. However, a similar looking website would not take so long to replicate. In today’s day and age of technology, and with the right skills, someone could have a similar product up and running within a few days. So, as we take a minute to laugh this week, I want to also take a second to remind you about the seriousness of fake news. Be sure to check your sources, their intentions, their funders, and so on… Fake news can be exciting and funny, but only when we know that it is in fact FAKE NEWS. Without further to do, let’s dive in!
This article, posted on April 6th, 2020, is commenting on the lack of medical supplies in America, and the atrocious way the American Federal Government is dealing with the issue of COVID-19. For some background, there have been speculations in the last weeks that Trump is handing out medical supplies based on political affiliation. Florida had put in a request for medical supplies, and received 100% of what they asked for, and some said this was due to Florida’s republican red blood. While other states, such as Oregon and Oklahoma received about 10% of what they requested (1.) However, this is fake news within itself. The federal government is severely lacking supplies, and to cope they are distributing supplies based on needs, populations, and outbreaks. To keep it short: Florida is very at risk for outbreaks and fatalities based on their population of older folk, and that is why they received more supplies than other states.
This article also comments on the importance of the free market and the economy to the republican party. Specifically, we may recall a statement made by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. He stated he was willing to forgo the risks of COVID-19, in order to preserve the American economy, and stresses the importance of keeping the free market running. This connects back to the article’s point of introducing more competition for medical supplies, that emphasizes introducing American territories as new states that should then fight for the limited supplies. The “healthy competition” that is supposed to boost the free market, is most likely making a reference to Big Pharma. In the U.S., Big Pharma has been driving up drug costs to unpayable prices, enforcing the need for insurance and also closes many U.S. citizens out from healthcare or necessary drugs. This I won’t dive too deeply into, but I think it an important point to note.
Additionally, the article gives a fake quote from Trump: “The free market works best with some healthy competition, so by increasing the number of U.S. states to 68, we can hopefully double the cost of ventilators.” Which makes the general comment which further supports the idea that the U.S. government is doing more to protect the economy and fill certain pockets, than support and protect its people.
Lastly, the article mentions a few of the American territories that would be added to the union, but specifically says Puerto Rico would be left out. This statement raises many important political issues with the USA’s relations to the US territory of Puerto Rico. The territory is suffering from many issues, such as debt, natural disasters, and neglect from their government. Mainly from President Trump, who has continuous conflict with the territory.
Well, I think that will be all for this week’s fake news article dissection. I hope this brought some laughter into your life, or at least a little more information into your brain.
Until next week!
1- DePillis, Lydia, et al. “Here's Why Florida Got All the Emergency Medical Supplies It Requested While Other States Did Not.” ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2020, www.propublica.org/article/heres-why-florida-got-all-the-emergency-medical-supplies-it-requested-while-other-states-did-not.