Tell the media: Stop blaming "both sides" for Trump's government shutdown

Media call it what it is! #TrumpShutDown

Tell the mainstream media: "Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are responsible for the government shutdown. Stop falsely blaming 'both sides.'" Add your name:

It's not just Fox News anymore: Media outlets that many people trust are now unbelievably blaming both sides for Donald Trump's childish and dangerous behavior. Major news organizations, like the Associated Press, The New York Times and television news networks are creating a false narrative about Donald Trump's racist border wall, reporting – as news, not opinion – that both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the government shutdown. The idea that both sides are to blame is absurd: Democrats in the House of Representatives recently passed a bill that the Senate passed unanimously a few weeks ago to reopen the government. The blame for this fabricated immigration and shutdown crisis falls squarely on Trump and Republicans, and the media must report on this situation accurately. We must speak out now to hold them accountable. Tell the media: Stop blaming "both sides" for Trump's government shutdown. Click here to sign the petition. Mainstream media played a massive role in catapulting Donald Trump's campaign to the White House.1 During the 2016 cycle, the media gave him more than $5 billion in free air time, marking the media's absolute complicity in his constant stream of racist, misogynistic and hateful attacks.2 Now, some of these same media organizations are giving cover to Republicans to continue conflating the Trump-created border crisis and his unnecessary, wasteful, racist border wall with the government shutdown. The same shutdown in which where more than 800,000 federal workers are held hostage without pay, shuttered government offices and services continue to negatively affect millions, and immigrants at the border seeking asylum continue to suffer. Here's just a sample of the "both sides" rhetoric: After recent shutdown negotiations, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman accused Democrats and Republicans of "talking past each other, these two sides."3 The Associated Press issued a "fact check" blaming both sides, stating "Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for his border wall is one reason for the budget impasse. The Democrats refusal to approve the money is another."4 Time's Tessa Berenson wrote an article entitled "Both Sides Find Compromise Hard on the Government Shutdown," with a false rundown of a two-sides narrative.5 CNN host Jim Sciutto implied that Democrats face "the risk of being portrayed as obstructionists," for not conceding any ground for Trump's absurd wall proposal.6 Tell the media: Stop the "both sides" false narrative about Trump's racist border wall. Click here to sign the petition. Whether the media is motivated by ratings or the appearance of impartiality or it's just lazy reporting, the media's "both sides" portrayal is simply unacceptable. The news media play a critical role in our democracy by shining a light on the corruption, hate, unethical behavior and criminality pervading the Trump administration. The American public trust these sources exactly because they are supposed to report the news accurately, and we deserve better. Every reputable and ethical journalist and media organization has an obligation for accurate and fair reporting that is truthful and accountable and minimizes harm.7 We must ensure they live up to these important standards. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/media_both_sides?t=8&akid=31165%2E3130208%2ECcn1mf Josh Nelson, CREDO Action  Add your name: References: David Sillito, "Donald Trump: How the media created the president," BBC, Nov. 14, 2016. Emily Stewart, "Donald Trump Rode $5 Billion in Free Media to the White House," The Street, Nov. 20, 2016. Media Matters, "After Trump speech, Maggie Haberman says both sides are to blame for "talking past each other,'" Jan. 8, 2019. Tweet by Associated Press Politics, Jan. 8, 2019. Tessa Berenson, "Both Sides Find Compromise Hard on the Government Shutdown" TIME, Jan. 2, 2019. Media Matters, "CNN host: Democrats risk 'being portrayed as obstructionists' over Trump's shutdown," Jan. 7, 2019. Society of Professional Journalists, "SPJ Code of Ethics," Sept. 24, 2014. More information: The shutdown could end when Senate Republicans decide to end it - Vox

Tell the mainstream media: Don't let Trump perpetuate lies about the Central American migrant caravan

Petition to mainstream media outlets: "Push back on Trump's racist, nativist fear-mongering about migrant caravans from Central America. Fact-check and refuse to cover his blatant falsehoods and provide objective coverage on immigration and all the important issues in this midterm election." Add your name:

Some are fleeing death threats against themselves or their children. Others want to escape some of the highest murder rates in the world. Most seek what we all seek: a job, a way to feed their family or the hope of a better life. A huge number are senior citizens or small children. Day after day, mile after mile, in 90 degree heat, they walk.1 Yet Donald Trump insists the migrant caravan from Central America is an invasion force of "criminals" and "Middle Easterners," without the slightest bit of evidence for his racist lies.2 This week's attempted attacks on Trump's political enemies shows that his reckless lies and incendiary rhetoric are dangerous. His vitriol has turned toward the caravan as a way to gin up his supporters before the midterms. We need to remind the media that we expect them to call out Trump's lies, and let them know that we'll have their backs when they do. Tell mainstream media outlets: Push back on Trump's lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click here to sign the petition. For years, people fleeing horrific conditions in Central America have banded together for safety and headed north. Facing homelands and hometowns with some of the highest murder rates in the world, groups leave every few weeks. One caravan of migrants is not an invasion or a crisis for the United States. Media coverage of this particular caravan that replicates or elevates Trump's talking points serves only to boost his nativist fear-mongering and distract from the real issues facing the country as we head into the midterms. The media should be reporting that there is an ongoing crisis for the people of Central America that does not have simple solutions. They should remind Americans of our role in contributing to instability in Central America by overthrowing governments, fueling civil wars, mounting a flawed "War on Drugs" and pursuing a reckless policy of mass deportations of U.S. gang members.3,4 They should be reporting that we have a system for processing asylum requests at the border and letting asylum seekers begin to build lives for themselves in the United States while their cases proceed. They should be reminding readers and viewers that Trump's attacks on those systems have created long waits, overwhelmed immigration judges and the family detention and separation crisis. They should be calling Trump's tweeting out as a craven strategy to influence the midterms and refusing to play into his hands.5 Tell mainstream media outlets: Don't let Trump perpetuate lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click here to sign the petition. It is unacceptable but not surprising that mainstream media outlets are tuned in and so responsive to Trump's messaging. There is an entire right-wing media ecosystem, including FOX, Sinclair Broadcasting, online propaganda outlets and AM radio shows, which incubates and amplifies it. That ecosystem's relentless claims of liberal media bias – though false – have encouraged mainstream outlets to give far too much room to conservative viewpoints, no matter how unfounded.6 And the media itself has been a target of some of the worst of Trump's vitriol, leading to CNN being one of the targets of this week's attacks. Mainstream media outlets know nativist race-baiting is Trump's strategy.7 We have to make sure they refuse to help. While conservatives demand favorable coverage, we need to speak out and demand that the mainstream media provide fair and objective reporting on the caravan, immigration and the issues really influencing voters ahead of the midterms. Tell mainstream media outlets: Push back on Trump's lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/media_migrant_caravan?t=8&akid=30475%2E3130208%2E_9drIG -Heidi Hess, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: David Agren, "'God will decide if we make it': Central American caravan presses northward," The Guardian, Oct. 23, 2018. Ryan Bort, "What to Know About the Migrant Caravan (Beyond Trump’s Lies)," Rolling Stone, Oct. 22, 2018. Leon Krauze, "Trump vs. the Caravan," Slate, Oct. 22, 2018. Roque Planas and Ryan Grim, "Here’s How The U.S. Sparked A Refugee Crisis On The Border, In 8 Simple Steps," HuffPost, Nov. 5, 2014. Joan Walsh, "Trump’s Midterms Strategy Is Fear, Lies, and (White) Nationalism," The Nation, Oct. 23, 2018. Matthew Yglesias, "The hack gap: how and why conservative nonsense dominates American politics," Vox, Oct. 23, 2018. Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey, "Trump and Republicans settle on fear – and falsehoods – as a midterm strategy," The Washington Post, Oct.