Following the White House Press Secretary's attack on the mainstream media's "false" portrayal of the inauguration ceremony, one of the President's advisers (Kellyanne Conway) stated that the White House had simply put forth "alternative facts" to those that had been reported by the media. White House Press Secretary Spicer claimed that "this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration--period--both in person and around the globe." There has been no evidence to support this claim. Comparison of aerial photographs of Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration and President Trump's inauguration show a significantly smaller turn out for this year's ceremony and reports show that Trump also drew a smaller television audience than the 2009 ceremony. So in fact, these "alternative facts" are nothing more than disguised falsehoods intended to misguide the public and promote the President's image.
While the term has quickly gone viral and is being used as the punchline on countless social media posts, it presents a real danger in our current political climate. It is representative of a new precedent set by the Trump administration--one that pits the White House against the media. This introduction of "alternative fact", lies that directly contradict facts presented by the media intended to be taken at face value by the public, suggests that we will have to choose who to believe, either the White House or the media. It implies that the White House is the ultimate reviewer of fact, and if the media's reports do not align with what the White House believes to be fact, then it mustn't be fact at all. This will only create a larger divide amongst a nation of people that are already severely polarized following this past election cycle.
The media, often referred to as the fourth branch of government, acts as a watchdog to all branches of government. Not only does the media largely define what issues are on the public agenda and therefore what issues are at the forefront of the Congressional and Executive agenda, it serves to hold the institutions of our government accountable to the people by making them aware of their actions and decisions.
This divide between what the White House believes to be fact and what the media presents as fact will force the people to decide which source is most trustworthy. If we are the believe that the White House, an administration that has already blatantly lied to the people, is the most trustworthy of the two, then we have decided to release that administration from any accountability to the people. In a government that is for the people, accountability is one of the most critical aspects to ensure that decisions are made based on the will of the people at large and not the will of handful of elites.
In the next four years, as Trump's war on the media will likely continue, it is imperative that we the people continue to question, investigate and hold accountable an administration that is supposed to be representative of us. Do not take anything at face value. Trust in facts, always search for the truth, and never stop fighting for the things that are important to you.
