The Trump administration on Friday launched a new page on the official White House website designed to target and correct what it describes as “fake news.”
“The Trump White House is holding the Fake News accountable like never before,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement announcing the “media bias” page.
The development comes as a record chunk of the public now reports they have little confidence in the press, with a Gallup poll last month indicating just 28% have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news accurately and fairly.
White House spokesman Kaelan Dorr framed the Trump administration’s latest measure as an effort to correct “misleading” reports and hold the “biased” media accountable.
“Prepare to be EXPOSED,” Dorr wrote in a post to X.
The addition to the White House website centers around a profile on the top three “media offenders” of the week. As of Friday, the page is targeting the Boston Globe, CBS News, and The Independent.
The new page names the reporters who offended the White House press office, along with the “offense” they are accused of committing, and the “truth” and “key points” rebutting their news story as told by the Trump administration.
In May, a Rasmussen Reports survey found that 49% of the public believes news bias is getting worse, while, by a margin of 44% to 29%, likely voters agree with the statement: “No matter how much you hate the media, it’s not enough.”
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Trump has often lashed out at the press, as Republicans point to data from sources such as the Media Research Center this year that showed the president received 8% positive coverage during his first four months in office, while 92% has been negative, citing the evening newscasts on ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Some have criticized the White House due to concerns that Trump’s approach undermines the spirit of a free and independent press. Such concerns about free speech shot up following comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension from ABC News due to controversial comments he made on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. Critics said the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, pushed for the punishment, blurring the lines between the government and the press, and undermining free speech protections.
