#FakeNews, Weather Edition

How many times in the last week did you read the words “#FakeNews”? President Trump tweeted about it roughly 25 times in August, according to NPR. There are even websites out there like Snoopes.com to help you determine if a news story is fake or not. When it comes to weather events, it’s probably the easiest example to catch as fake news, but you must actually watch the whole segment before labeling something in this hashtag propaganda blitz.

Most recently during Hurricane Florence, Mike Seidel, a reporter for The Weather Channel was reporting on the wind in North Carolina. While he struggled to stand in the storm’s wind, 2 bystanders casually walked by in the background. Social media has lit up with this viral video, describing it as sensationalizing news. With of course the popular #FakeNews.

If anyone watched the whole segment, after the bystanders walked by, #FakeNews would never have been attached to these posts. In the corner of the screen it says gusts are 48 mph. According the National Weather Service that can cause light structural damage. In fact, the live hit even shows a shingle thrown around as debris. The trees are swaying violently. Storm reports include a fallen tree is to blame for killing a mom and her baby. “It’s important to note that the two individuals in the background are walking on concrete, and Mike Seidel is trying to maintain his footing on wet grass.” The Weather Channel stated according to the Charlotte observer. Wet grass is very slippery for the reporter’s shoes to grip and rendered useless in helping him stand up against the howling wind.

If the nation actually watched the whole clip, it would be easy to see that this story shouldn’t be categorized as fake news at all. Instead it should be a commercial for sneakers with better traction.

While the spoofs of the event are creative, they illustrate how having only half the story is not the story. The media isn’t creating fake news, the audience is.