On Tuesday, the Evening news echoed Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations. After the anecdotes sparked by his presence in the building and his defiant harangue to the international community, the news program delved into the lies the US president had uttered. A video emphasized that not all of his claims were true and analyzed each case: the seven wars he supposedly ended, the climate change scam, or Europe's path to hell. All were analyzed and contrasted to show the manipulation in Trump's rhetoric. A very good journalistic approach that goes beyond simple informational inertia and gives the viewer perspective.
Five news stories later, Trump reappeared on the air. Newscast, this time for the case of his alert against Tylenol and its relationship with autism, where the US president advised pregnant women to fight "tooth and nail" to avoid taking this medication. Toni Cruanyes took up the information: "After hearing this, we have spoken with researchers and experts who assure us that there is no scientific evidence to support Trump's theory," and gave way to a video with doctors and researchers who refuted the words of the US president based on scientific studies. Then, a sign appeared on the screen that said "VERIFICATION" and Cruanyes returned to the case with the intention of presenting the fact-checking Made by 3Cat: "We consulted with the head of verification, Carlos Baraibar: Why is Donald Trump bringing up this topic now?", and the journalist developed the facts that contextualized Trump's words based on a scientific study we saw on screen and the nuances of the considerations being made. They also provided the email that the verification section had exchanged with Harvard to clarify some aspects. On screen, above the photograph of the documents, the sign "CERT" appeared for those aspects that could be confirmed and, finally, over an image of Trump advising against Tylenol for pregnant women, they printed, over his face, an orange sign that said "FALSE!" with an exclamation mark and everything.
Journalistically, it was an impeccable work by the news services, with a very clear and interesting development, which allowed us to understand the context and the nuances. The curiosity now is to know what criteria will be used to apply this exhaustive and forceful verification analysis on a daily basis. For example, whether it will also be carried out with Catalan and Spanish politicians from all parties, or with officials and representatives of relevant organizations and institutions, be they businesspeople, football club presidents, bankers, spokespersons... And whether the same clarity of exposition will also be used, both explanatory and graphically. Because if so, we are facing a very brave informational challenge. Because it's easier to do it with Trumps, Putins, and Netanyahus than with the powerful, zero-mile-high figures who do watch TV3 and can get angry.
