Examples of major mainstream fake news stories in the recent past are:
*that a high school student wearing a pro-[[Trump]] Make America Great Again hat at the [[March for Life]] somehow acted improperly when he stood smiling while a stranger persistently beat a drum in his face;<ref>http://wbsm.com/media-sells-soul-for-nathan-phillips-opinion/</ref>
*calling the "Washington's Birthday" holiday the made-up name "Presidents' Day," which it never was under federal law
*the deliberate manipulation of [[President Trump]]'s live [[Oval Office]] broadcast by a local [[Fox]] affiliate editor/technician;<ref>https://youtu.be/UZLs11uSg-A</ref>
*the uncorroborated, obscene sexual allegation published by ''[[The New Yorker]]'' as part of the [[Kavanaugh smear]];
CNN, the ''Washington Post'', the ''New York Times'' and numerous other organizations reported fabricated information by anonymous sources throughout 2016, 2017, and 2018. The published reports became the basis of the [[Trump-Russia conspiracy hoax]] and [[FISA abuse]] scandal. When mainstream media published the false information, the Obama FBI, Justice Department, CIA and [[DNI]] used the fake news (originating with themselves) as supposed corroboration from "independent journalists" to begin investigations, interviews, perjury traps, seek warrants, perform [[Gang of Eight]] briefings, and appoint a [[Mueller office|Special Prosecutor]] to pursue political objectives.
*[[Michael Sussmann]] who worked with the general counsel of the Clinton campaign and the DNC gave fake evidence to the FBI and ''New York Times'' that a webserver in Trump Tower was communicating with a Russian bank. The smears were found to be without foundation.<ref>https://themarketswork.com/2019/01/21/baker-testimony-reveals-perkins-coie-lawyer-provided-fbi-with-information-on-alfa-bank-allegations/</ref>
*[[Christopher Steele]] who worked for Hillary Clinton gave false evidence to the FBI and numerous mainstream media outlets that [[Carter Page]] was a Russian spy, when in fact Page was a former FBI informant who helped jail Russian spies.
*Steele gave bogus sexual innuendo about Trump to the FBI; [[DNI]] [[ James Clapper]] leaked to CNN than that Trump had been briefed on the information, thus creating a "Breaking News" story.<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/04/20/anatomy-of-a-political-smear-confirmed-james-comey-january-briefing-was-scripted-by-clapper-and-brennan-to-create-media-narrative/</ref>
In the Kavanaugh smear, false sexual abuse allegations were leaked by Senate Democrat committee staffers to produce sensationalized headlines and martial public pressure in an emotional cause.
Sen. [[Dianne Feinstein]] or a staffer leaked a letter from Dr. [[Christine Blasey Ford]] to the ''Washington Post'' alleging notes from a therapist and a polygraph exam were material evidence of a sexual assault, sparking a hue and cry on the [[Left]] for extended nomination hearings and FBI investigation of [[Judge Kavanaugh]]. The alleged "material evidence" was never provided to the FBI or Senate Judiciary Committee for examination and consideration, and the accuser caught in a series of conflicting sworn public statements.
===Willing participants Participants in the Russia collusion smearhoax===
These mainstream news organizations in one capacity or other were willing participants in the [[Trump-Russia collusion hoax]]. The plan to exonerate Hillary Clinton of criminal charges, sabotage Donald Trump's election chances, and later his presidency, originated with corrupt elements of the Obama administration in collusion with the Democratic party. Allies opposed to Trump's demand that [[NATO]] members give more to fund the alliance, and Russian sources feeding Democrats false information also contributed.
These uncorroborated allegations violated every tenet of traditional, respectable [[journalism]]. None of it would have been possible without the help of several global media organizations willingly publicizing the false narrative of Trump collusion with the Russian government.<ref>https://themarketswork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/inforgraphic-838x1024.jpg</ref>Willing participants were:[[CNN]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[BBC]], [[NBC]], [[BuzzFeed]], ''[[The Guardian]]'', ''[[Huffington Post]]'', ''[[Newsweek]]'', [[MSNBC]], ''[[Politico]]'', [[ABC]], ''[[Vanity Fair]]'', ''[[Slate]]'', ''[[McClatchy]]'', [[Yahoo News]] and ''[[Mother Jones]]''.
*CNN===Participants in the Kavanaugh smear===*[[NBC News]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[Stephen Colbert]], [[ABC News]], [[CBS News]], [[USA Today]]. ===Participants in the Covington Catholic kids smear===:{{Main article|Covington Catholic kids}}*''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]''*, ''[[Cable News Network]]'' (CNN), ''[[The Guardian]]'', ''[[National Public Radio]]'', [[TMZ]], [[Atlantic Media]], [[Capitol Hill Publishing]], [[Ann Cabrera]] (CNN), [[Sara Sidner]] (CNN), [[Erin Burnett]] (CNN), [[S. E. Cupp]] (CNN), [[Elliot C. McLaughlin]] (CNN), [[Amanda Watts]] (CNN), [[Emmanuella Grinberg]] (CNN), [[Michelle Boorstein]] (''Washington Post''*BBC*NBC*BuzzFeed*), [[Cleve R. Wootson Jr.]] (''The GuardianWashington Post''*), [[Antonio Olivo]] (''Huffington Washington Post''*), [[Joe Heim]] (''NewsweekWashington Post''*MSNBC*), [[Michael E. Miller]] (''PoliticoWashington Post''*ABC*), [[Eli Rosenberg]] (''Vanity FairWashington Post''*), [[Isaac Stanley-Becker]] (''SlateWashington Post''*), [[Kristine Philips]] (''McClatchyWashington Post''*Yahoo News*), [[Sarah Mervosh]] (''Mother JonesWashington Post''), [[Emily S. Roeb]] (''New York Times''), [[Maggie Haberman]] (''New York Times''), [[David Brooks]] (''New York Times''), [[Shannon Doyne]], [[Kurt Eichenwald]], [[Andrea Mitchell]] (''[[NBC]]/[[MSNBC]]''), [[Savannah Guthrie]] (NBC), [[Joy Reid]] (MSNBC), [[Chuck Todd]] (NBC), [[Noah Berlatsky]], [[Elisha Fieldstadt]] (NBC), [[Eun Kyung Kim]], [[HBO]], [[Bill Maher]], [[Warner Media]], [[Condé Nast]], ''[[GQ]]'', [[Heavy.com]], [[The Hill]], ''[[The Atlantic]]'', Bustle.com, [[Kathy Griffin]], [[Alyssa Milano]] and [[Jim Carrey]].<ref>https://www.dailywire.com/news/42988/nick-sandmanns-lawyer-sends-letters-these-54-ryan-saavedra?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro</ref>
==President Trump and "fake news"==
=== CNN and fake news ===
[[File:Ralph Northam (D-VA) in blackface.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Democrat shill [[Don Lemon]] (left); Democratic Governor Ralph Northam (in blackface (right).]]
In first half of 2017, [[CNN]]'s market share relative to its competitors saw a marked decline.<ref>[http://www.dailywire.com/news/18088/death-spiral-along-its-credibility-cnn-ratings-john-nolte Death Spiral: Along With Its Credibility, CNN Ratings Collapse], Daily Wire, 2017.</ref> In addition, it faced repeated losses of its credibility through its lapses of journalistic judgment and ethical lapses.<ref>
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FpMb6dATfo CNN faces credibility crisis over Trump coverage]
Sometime before January 6, 2017, [[DNI]] [[James Clapper]] briefed opposition research talking points, manufactured by the Clinton campaign in the ''[[Steele dossier]]'', to [[Jake Tapper]] of CNN. The salacious innuendo lacked verification and a " news hook" for CNN to report. Clapper instructed [[FBI]] Director [[James Comey]] to brief President-elect Trump on the allegations. Clapper immediately leaked the fact Trump had been briefed, creating the "news hook" CNN was looking for to publicize the existence of the ''Steele dossier''. FBI counter-intelligence investigator [[Peter Strzok]] then used the fake news report to justify interviewing [[National Security Advisor]] [[Michael Flynn]] and lay a perjury trap,<ref>https://saraacarter.com/who-will-investigate-the-fbi-and-doj-top-secret-leaks-to-the-media/?utm=pushnami</ref> thwarting the new president's [[foreign policy]] agenda. Clapper was rewarded with a job at CNN afterward.<ref>''[https://www.scribd.com/document/377590825/HPSCI-Final-Report-on-Russian-Active-Measures-Redacted-Release Russian Active Measures in the 2016 Election''], House Permanent Sub Committee on Intelligence, March 22, 2017, pp. 107-108.</ref><ref>[https://www.themarketswork.com/2018/04/27/clapper-leaks-twice-to-cnn-brennan-stands-in-the-shadows-a-russian-narrative-is-born/ Clapper Leaks Twice to CNN. Brennan Stands in the Shadows. A Russian Narrative is Born,] Jeff Carlson, April 27, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/04/20/anatomy-of-a-political-smear-confirmed-james-comey-january-briefing-was-scripted-by-clapper-and-brennan-to-create-media-narrative/ Anatomy of a Political Smear Confirmed – James Comey January Briefing Was Scripted by Clapper and Brennan To Create Media Narrative], by Sundance, April 20, 2018. theconservativetreehouse.com</ref>
In 2019, CNN falsely labeled liberal [[Democratic party|Democrat Virginia governor]] [[Ralph Northam]] a "Republican" when reporting a racist photo of himself while in medical school.<ref>Gualtieri, Allison Elyse (February 2, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/cnn-misidentifies-virginia-gov-ralph-northam-as-a-republican-during-his-apology-for-racist-yearbook-photo CNN misidentifies Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as a Republican during his apology for racist yearbook photo]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved February 2, 2019.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, Katherine (February 1, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/01/watch-cnn-chyron-labels-virginia-gov-ralph-northam-a-republican/ WATCH: CNN Chyron Labels Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam a Republican]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved February 2, 2019.</ref>
===Deep state and fake news===
===2018 bomb hoax===
Just when things looked desperate for Democrats with unhinged mobs responding to the party's leadership, CNN reported it had received a mail bomb addressed to [[John Brennan]], who actually works for [[NBC]]. Nonetheless, CNN opened John Brennan's mail anyway, paused to take pictures of the alleged bomb resembling a Hollywood prop, before evacuting the building in a panic. Others recieved received mailings as well.
Republicans were quick to condemn political violence,<ref>https://youtu.be/KwSGYUDQSuY</ref> unlike Democrat leaders, who were encouraging it.<ref>https://m.imdb.com/title/tt9115480/</ref> President Trump vowed to use all the resources of the federal government to find who was responsible.