In a bold move to counteract what it perceives as "fake news," the Trump administration has launched a new section on the White House website.
This initiative, announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, is designed to hold media outlets accountable for their coverage of the administration's actions. "The Trump @White House is holding the Fake News accountable like never before," Leavitt declared.
As reported by the Daily Caller, the website, at the time of its unveiling, named CBS News, The Boston Globe, and The Independent as the "Offenders of the Week." These media outlets were singled out for their coverage of President Trump's response to a video by the "Seditious Six," a group of congressional Democrats who seemingly attempted to undermine the military's chain of command in the event of "illegal" orders.
The video, released on November 18, featured Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and five other congressional Democrats with military or intelligence backgrounds. They urged members of the military and intelligence communities to disregard any "illegal" orders issued by President Trump.
The White House website alleges that these media outlets misrepresented Trump's calls for accountability over the video, which he claimed was an attempt to incite insubordination among military personnel.
"The media misrepresented President Trumps call for Members of Congress to be held accountable for inciting sedition by saying that he called for their 'execution,'" the website stated. It further argued that the Democrats and the media wrongfully implied that President Trump had issued illegal orders to service members. "Every order President Trump has issued has been lawful. It is dangerous for sitting Members of Congress to incite insubordination in the United States [sic] military, and President Trump called for them to be held accountable," the site added.
The website also features a "Hall of Shame," listing other media outlets that the White House believes have fallen short in their reporting due to issues such as "left-wing lunacy," "mischaracterization," "circular reporting," "bias," and "false claims." Among the outlets listed in the "Hall of Shame" are MSNBC (now known as MSNOW), CNN, The Washington Post, CBS News, The New York Times, and USA Today.
Several corporate media outlets have faced backlash over their coverage of Trump in recent years, with some even settling with the president after facing lawsuits. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced criticism after The Telegraph revealed a dossier detailing how the network used edited clips of Trumps January 6, 2021, speech in a documentary to suggest he encouraged the Capitol building riot later that day.
The BBC issued an apology to Trump in a November 13 letter from chairman Samir Shah, following the resignation of two top officials at the company. The letter stated that the documentary would not be aired again. Trump also secured a $15 million settlement with ABC in December 2024 after suing the outlet for defamation. ABCs "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed Trump was found "liable for rape" during a contentious appearance by Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.
Paramount also settled a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Trump over the editing of an October 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Interestingly, the Daily Caller News Foundation does not appear on the website at the time of publication.
This new initiative by the Trump administration underscores the ongoing tension between the White House and the media, highlighting the importance of accurate and unbiased reporting in maintaining public trust.
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