Friday, October 28, 2016

Trump's loud mouth: The real horrors of spreading misinformation

Editor's note: Updated the second to last paragraph to say didn't not don't  

Just over a month ago, presidential nominee Donald Trump, during one of his rallies, informed his audience of a “powerful” explosion that had just occurred in New York City.


He said the explosion was caused by a bomb.   


Although his comments weren’t outright obscene or offensive, they were a little dangerous.So much misinformation is shared during the early hours of an events like this. We saw it when users from the popular website Reddit falsely claimed to have found the two Boston bombers.    

His comments came even before the press in New York City confirmed an explosion had actually occurred, let alone if it was a bomb.

Trump should know better than to just outright claim the explosion was caused by a bomb. He should have known better than to just to share that information without disclosing his sources.

He has a substantial following and a powerful platform, his rally attendance rate had often been “ten times the size of Clinton’s.” He has a responsibility to share accurate information.

It’s not his responsibility to haphazardly break news, especially on something as sensitive as a potential bomb attack. He should leave the reporting to the journalists who are actively reporting on the scene of the event, like the New York Times for example.

At the time, we didn’t know about the explosions. According to the Times we still didn't know don’t who caused the explosion, his/her motive, or why the individual planted the explosives where they did. It’s irresponsible to jump to conclusions without knowing almost any of the facts.

Trump’s should recognize the impact his words have on his support base and the potential misinformation he spreads when he runs his mouth without knowing most of the facts.       

3 comments:

  1. This post brings up the question, do we really want this man as our president? Someone who talks without thinking? A bomb going off in New York could cause a state wide panic, and someone who wants to run the country should not be just blabbing his mouth about bombs going off, potentially causing a panic. The president has to be calm and rational about everything and Trump, as we have seen is more of a no filter when talking type of person. With such a large following he really should fact check before saying whatever he wants especially about such a serious topic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "He said the explosion was caused by a bomb"
    He was right.


    "According to the Times we still didn't know"
    Yes, we do.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_New_York_and_New_Jersey_bombings

    "Trump should know better than to just"
    Um, no. Trump does not share your worldview.

    "He has a responsibility to share accurate information."
    Um, no. He has a responsibility to get elected.

    "He should leave the reporting to the journalists who are actively reporting on the scene of the event, like the New York Times for example."
    The same journalists that are fair and balanced coverage of his political campaign?

    "Trump’s should recognize the impact his words"
    Trump is well aware of the impact of his words. He's been choosing them carefully for over a year now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. His words sure have had an impact, but I wouldn't even dare to say he's been choosing them carefully. That might be why his campaign manager revoked his Twitter rights, (even though she denies this.)

      Delete