Calling a lie a lie

I understand the claim that it’s *possible* that Trump is either a) so unhinged or b) so ignorant that, occasionally, some of his seeming lies might be “unintentional falsehoods.” But both those possibilities are even worse, given that he has sole authority over nuclear weapons.

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) May 27, 2018

But a political movement can't win battles in the news pages that it loses at the ballot box. That will remain true even if you persuade every reporter in Washington to auto-fill the word "lie" every time the president says something untrue.

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) May 27, 2018

I think some criticism on left of colleagues like @maggieNYT is rooted in the frustration of not having any actual power in Washington right now, and few concrete ways of stopping or opposing Trump.

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) May 27, 2018

I have written stories about his lies, falsehoods, whoppers, half-truths, salesman-like stretches. The reality is that what he does can be hard to label because, as anyone who has worked for him will tell you in candor, he often thinks whatever he says is what’s real. https://t.co/0gJbgzgbjK

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 27, 2018

I think basically all big U.S. papers are too cautious in using “lie” with Trump – it’s warranted in many cases – and that they devote too little coverage to the lies. That doesn’t mean they should call every false claim a lie.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 27, 2018

When Trump makes up a fictional phone call from the head of the Boy Scouts, there’s no word for that but lie. When Trump is wrong about policy, he is often clearly lying, but other times he seems ill-informed.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 27, 2018

The term is not the central issue, in my view. What’s most important is consistent coverage of the dishonesty, consistently treating it as a major story, consistently calling it out in basic news coverage rather than leaving it to fact-checkers. That’s what’s too often missing.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 27, 2018

Here's the thing about the reluctance to use the word "lie."

It is just true that many journos still won't publicly acknowledge the true depths of bad faith & illiberal authoritarianism at core of Trump-era conservatism's posture towards the media.

And this does mislead people.

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 27, 2018

This cynicism is the biggest advantage Trump has on any number of fronts, based on same experience. “All politicians lie/have conflicts of interest/sic gov on opponents” etc, even “collude with foreign rivals.” Accurately rebutting puts you in position of defending hated pols.

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) May 27, 2018

Trump says the FBI never contacted him about Russia during the campaign. Not ignorance about briefings but direct knowledge. So when he says he was never contacted, that is a lie. Period. The word that should be used by reporters. https://t.co/Am703eRtqu

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) May 27, 2018

“Demonstrable falsehoods” Maggie— please— our country is in crisis— speak PLAINLY. Instead write “PROVEN LIES.” If you won’t please explain why. https://t.co/FnBtzbbWUi

— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) May 26, 2018