I was wondering why any American would still believe Trump’s baloney, then Rickie, my neighbor across the street, gave me a clue.
He and I get completely different information.
I get my “facts” from CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo News and the local newspaper. His “facts” come from web sites like Alex Jones and Breitbart.
In my world, Trump is a bully and a thug whose sanity is in question.
In Rickie’s world, Trump is a brilliant, generous reformer who is being persecuted by an evil establishment. In the face of hostility and obstruction, he is getting things done and fulfilling his promise to “make America great again.”
Obviously, Rickie isn’t getting his “facts” from the mainstream media.
Does that mean the residents of at least 17 US states no longer depend on mainstream media for their information?
For in those states, Trump enjoys an approval rating of at least 50 percent.
And in 15 other states his approval is at least 40 percent.
No kidding.
If you look at the accompanying map (click on the map to enlarge it) , you will see that many of Trump’s states are rural and thinly populated, states like Kentucky, Tennessee, Montana and Wyoming. But they also include big, rich states like Texas and Arizona.
Don’t these folks listen to TV? Don’t they read the newspapers? Or is it that they buy Trump’s lie about “fake news”?
If so many people believe the “fake news” propaganda, American democracy is in trouble. For a democracy to function, the people must have reliable information and accept it as accurate.
Dictatorships flourish when the people are fed false facts by state controlled news outlets. Despots and demagogues thrive by spreading distrust of the independent media.
