On Jan 18 in front of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial, a remarkable newsworthy event did not happen. Consequently, it became a top news story. Remarkable!
So remarkable, that it should be referenced in all future tests relating to the credibility of journalism itself. In fact, suggests Robert in his conversation with Danielle, it should be referred to as the ‘Covington Test,’ in honor of Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann who became a symbol of the media’s disgraceful abandonment of its traditional role as a source of reliable information.
Having earlier attended the ‘March for Life’ rally barely acknowledged by the media, Sandmann found himself thrust into the court of public opinion, judged guilty of the “face crime of smiling while white,” as Danielle describes the media spin.
Though merely waiting for a bus to take him and his fellow Covington students back home, he found himself caught in a controversy that could become a defining point in the phenomenon of ‘fake news,’ as well as represent a possible turning point regarding the future of journalism itself. Continue reading »