One phrase popularized by the Trump Administration has made its way around the globe and permeated the culture: “fake news.” The seeming catchall term was picked up by one GOP lawmaker in Idaho who says conservatives in the Gem State will hand out their own fake news awards.
Republican Representative Priscilla Giddings of White Bird released a Youtube video seeking nominations for a local version of the president’s ballyhooed fake news awards.
Standing in the Capitol building, holding a microphone like a reporter, Giddings opens the video with: “Fake news isn’t just happening in Washington. It’s in Idaho too.”
She claims when Idaho newspapers report on conservatives, the coverage is negative 95 percent of the time. She says that while the GOP contends with biased attacks and misleading information from the media, “they pass off the fringe liberal agenda by calling it mainstream, and they claim it’s supported by the majority of Idahoans.”
Towards the end of the online video, Giddings issues a call to action.
“We need your help,” she says. “If you’ve read, heard or seen fake news reports by Idaho news outlets, send us an email with the details.”
The lawmaker from north central Idaho says she and her colleagues will evaluate the submissions and give out the awards at the end of the legislative session in March.
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