By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --ABC, CBS and NBC have joined CNN in refusing to air an advertisement that lists President Donald Trump's accomplishments during his administration's first 100 days while blaming the "fake news" media for not reporting on them.
A "fake news" graphic superimposed over the faces of news anchors was cited by CNN, ABC and NBC for not airing the ad. The networks contend that makes it inaccurate, and ABC said it represents a personal attack. CBS would not comment Friday on its reasons for the rejection.
The journalists whose faces are seen in the commercial are Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Wolf Blitzer of CNN, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, Scott Pelley of CBS and George Stephanopoulos of ABC.
"Apparently, the mainstream media are champions of the First Amendment only when it serves their own political views," said Lara Trump, a daughter-in-law of the president who serves as a consultant to the Trump campaign. Already up and running for 2020, the campaign has used the refusal in fundraising pleas to potential donors.
The campaign also submitted a list of examples for each network of what it contended were falsehoods by their anchors and reporters, according to a person with access to the documents. The person was not authorized to discuss the material by name and requested anonymity.
Some of the examples were more about how news was presented than about facts: Sean Hannity's complaint about CBS' editing of his "60 Minutes" interview and criticism of how Maddow reported on a Trump tax document.
The ad has run on Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network. The Trump campaign did not seek ad time on the Fox broadcast network, which doesn't have a regular newscast.
Associated Press writer Julie Bykowicz in Washington contributed to this report.
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won't block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
"The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said.
Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices, including protecting their personal information.
He said the dissolution order was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada's national security. He said the decision was based on information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of local jobs.
"We will challenge this order in court," the spokesperson said. "The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive."
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny... Read More