Tipsheet

The Latest Fact Check About Trump Will Remind You Why 'Journalism Is Dead'

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  June 08, 2021 7:00 AM

Critics on social media had three words after USA Today published a fact check of Donald Trump’s pants on Monday: “journalism is dead.”

In a tweet linking to the story, USA Today wrote: “Video footage and images taken throughout the night show the pants had a zipper in the front, indicating Trump wore his pants facing the right way.” 

The outlet analyzed a claim that circulated on Instagram saying Trump wore his pants backwards during a speech before the North Carolina Republican Party convention on Saturday. The user posted a screengrab of a tweet that pictured the front of the former president’s pants. 

What’s worse, USA Today wasn’t alone. NPR and Snopes also issued fact checks on the pants, with the former claiming that talk about Trump’s attire “overshadowed his speech.” 

For what it's worth, Snopes at least acknowledged how ridiculous it was that they had to fact check the claim.

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Critics sounded off on the absurdity of the fact checks.