How to Write a Fake News Story
The all-time world heavyweight champion of fake news is the New York Post. A recent article they published about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) response to Hurricane Helene is a textbook illustration of how to construct a fake news story. A Bullshit Journalism 101, if you will.
The story in question, headlined “Feds say there’s no money left to respond to hurricanes — after FEMA spent $1.4B on migrants,” is an illustration of what the right-wing cat box liner posing as a newspaper does best – conflating two things that have nothing to do with each other to prove their narrative that Democrats are evil.
The article starts out with: “Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas set off outrage Wednesday when he told reporters that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ‘does not have the funds’ to see Americans through the rest of this Atlantic hurricane season — after the agency spent more than $1.4 billion since the fall of 2022 to address the migrant crisis.”
This run-on sentence is half true. Secy. Mayorkas indeed told reporters that FEMA may not have enough money to cover the rest of the hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30, if we get hit with one or more devastating storms like Helene. But the “newspaper” added the part about the spending on the “migrant crisis” to make it look like the Biden Administration is wasting money on frivolous issues. Disaster relief and funding for the “migrant crisis” are separate funding issues and neither one impacts the other.
As part of its short-term government spending bill – which runs out on Dec. 20 – Congress allocated an additional $20 billion for disaster relief. But it may not be enough.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Secy. Mayorkas told the Associated Press. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has said that he is against calling back Congress – which is not in session until after the election– for a special session on disaster relief funding.
But according to the Post and a number of its right-wing sycophants, there’s an easy solution to the problem: just quit spending money on migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocated $780 million for the migrant crisis last year through FEMA. In late 2022 Congress authorized the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which responds to immigration issues. The SSP spent nearly $641 million this year alone.
In typical right-wing accuse first, obscure the facts later style, the New York Post undercuts its argument later in the article when it says: “It’s unclear if federal officials have the power to redirect migrant-focused funds to natural disaster victims.”
So, if I have this correct, FEMA is running out of money for disaster relief because they are spending too much (apparently $1 is too much) of it on the “migrant crisis.” If they would just reallocate that money to disaster relief, all will be well. Except for the migrants, of course. But there’s a minor problem, it may not actually be legal to reallocate those funds. But, still, the migrants.
It’s bad enough that the newspaper and the right-wing echo chamber are conflating two separate problems and publishing erroneous bullshit, but they are also causing problems for FEMA and DHS. So much so that FEMA had to publish a dedicated webpage called “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” debunking the rumors and false equivalencies of the right.
The webpage cautions people to “Help keep yourself, your family and your community safe after Hurricane Helene by being aware of rumors and scams and sharing official information from trusted sources.”
The page also notes that disaster relief funds are not being diverted to migrant relief.
“No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” it notes.
The Post complains that a “relatively paltry” $4 million has been paid out so far to victims of Hurricane Helene from the fund. “Those funds are from a $10 million FEMA allocation that allows storm victims grants of $750 for groceries.”
This, too stretches the truth. Yes, $4 million has been paid out so far. But disaster relief is only paid out after it is requested. FEMA is not running around the Southeast United States handing out $100 bills to people.
And, yes victims can request $750 in assistance. But the paper makes it seem like all victims can request is $750 in relief. This is a lie.
The $750 is part of what’s called “Serious Needs Assistance” which makes the money available on an expedited basis so people can buy “food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies.”
In journalism facts matter. In fake news nothing matters. You can say whatever you want and insinuate whatever you like. Informing the public is not the goal. Pushing your agenda and “sticking it to the Libs” is the goal.
The New York Post has this down to a science.