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January 04, 2017 11:43 AM UTC

State senator declines to sign fake news pledge, saying the term fake news "smacks of a new censorship"

  • 1 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(Leave it to Lundberg – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R).

You’d think twice about signing some pledges, if you’re a politician.

But a pledge not to spread fake news, if it’s found to be false by “Snopes, Politifact, Factcheck.org, or by a respected news outlet?”  And to remove such falsehoods accidentally posted on Facebook unless “detailed reasons for not deleting” them are provided.

That’s kind of like saying, I promise to tell the truth, as I see it, to the best of my ability.

So why wouldn’t everyone sign such the pledge? Alas, Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud) has rejected the fake news pledge, stating in an email to me:

Lundberg: I have always been as careful as I can in not promoting inaccurate information. However, there is a troubling element to the idea that news out of the mainstream might be suspected of being “fake.”

Having been a legislator for many years, and at one time a member of the news media, I know that every story is laced with the assumptions and perspective of the reporter. Hence, almost all stories have elements of what somebody might want to brand as “fake.” This is the reality of news reporting and the consumer of this information should always be discerning.

This new term “fake news,” to me smacks of a new censorship that ultimately could do more damage than what inaccurate news could ever do on its own.

I will respectfully decline to sign your pledge.

Kevin Lundberg
Colorado State Senate

I disagree with Lundberg, because the fake news pledge, developed in response to Colorado lawmakers who spread fake news last year, specifically allows him to post “out of the mainstream” news on his Facebook page, even if mainstream news outlets find it to be false. All he has to do is defend it.

And if spotlighting the term “fake news” “smacks of a new censorship” and risks causing more damage than inaccurate news is currently causing, than how can we challenge misinformation? What terms can we use to talk about falsehoods without being accused of censorship?

But I do appreciate Lundberg taking time to explain his position on the fake-news-pledge to me. It’s a step toward creating the civil, factual discourse that the pledge seeks to nurture.

Still, lawmakers who disagree with Lundberg can sign the pledge here. Citizens sign here.

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One thought on “State senator declines to sign fake news pledge, saying the term fake news “smacks of a new censorship””

  1. Lundberg is one of the prime offenders in spreading fake news – On Sept 16, he posted this on his Facebook page:

    Lundberg

    September 16, 2016 ·

    So… Hillary has an extended coughing fit during a speech and then is caught on camera collapsing while leaving an event early and the big media story is: Trump needs to release his medical reports…

    So Trump does release a clean medical report and big media moves on to another distraction, dredging up the birth certificate question of the President.

    Keep an eye on the real ball: Hillary is losing ground fast and big media is moving in to shore up her campaign.

    What's funny here is Lundberg calling Trump's doctor letter "clean", or even a "medical report". Remember this? Trump's lab reports were "astonishingly excellent", and "all positive results"? That he would be the "healthiest individual ever to be elected President"?

    Meanwhile, the fake news circulated an actual forged letter purporting to be from HRC's doctor.

    Lundberg is not the most evidence-based guy in the legislature. He is a climate denier with no respect for science. He waged an amendment war to deny funding to school nurses, because they might refer a student for an abortion (reality check – pregnant students are referred to a clinic or doctor, and they do receive a sheet of paper with multiple referrals, including for birth control, adoption, clothing and food, etc).

     

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