The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is fed up with President Donald Trump’s use of the term "fake news" and has come up with a novel way to deal with the issue.
In order to educate the public about what fake news actually is and the ramifications of misusing it, the SPJ has decided to trademark the term in its latest campaign. This move will force Donald Trump, as well as other politicians, celebrities and twitter trolls, to stop blasting it around.
From now on, anyone that lets the phrase slip past their lips or from their fingers, can expect a cease and desist letter from SPJ’s stern-looking lawyers (not really), in a bid to reclaim journalistic integrity.
The SPJ was quick to point out that the objective of the campaign is not to limit free speech, but to bolster it by reinforcing the press.
While you can actually trademark a phrase for commercial use, the SPJ’s campaign is a tongue-in-cheek way to voice real concerns about the erosion of the American public’s trust in the media due to many people believing that anything they don’t agree with is "fake news."
The campaign's message is clear and concise, without relying on a lot of unrelated imagery, or flowery language.
But the real stars of the ad are the blink-so-fast-and-you’ll-miss-them digs at President Trump, including a cubicle stocked with "Wall Building for Dummies," a famously semi-erotic photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin riding a horse shirtless, and a post-it note reminder to "order 1,000 hamberders."
There was, however, a disappointing lack of covfefe mugs.
Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017