MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee state representative proposed legislation to designate CNN and The Washington Post as “fake news” in the state.
Resolution HJR 0779, proposed by Rep. Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough), calls for the state “to recognize CNN and The Washington Post as fake news and condemn them for denigrating our citizens.”
The resolution recalls incidents from each news outlet in 2019 where a host or editor referred to supporters of President Donald Trump as “belonging to a cult” or “cult-like.”
“To describe the entire Republican Party as a cult led by President Trump is problematic: If journalists are going to refer to the party as a cult and its supporters as cultists, they must define what “cult” means; otherwise, they are assuming that a cult is some obvious phenomenon and everyone knows what the word means,” reads a portion of the resolution.
It also calls for recognizing both outlets as “part of the media wing of the Democratic Party.”
“We condemn them for denigrating our citizens and implying that they are weak-minded followers instead of people exercising their rights that our veterans paid for with their blood,” another portion says.
The resolution currently does not have a co-sponsor. It was introduced in the House on Wednesday.
WREG has reached out to Rep. Van Huss’ office for comment, but we have not yet heard back.
