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US media hits back at Donald Trump over attacks on 'fake news'

News organisations across the US have united to condemn Donald Trump’s attack on the media.

Nearly 350 newspaper and other organisations are thought to have published a co-ordinated series of editorials condemning the US President’s attacks on “fake news”.

The Boston Globe invited its fellow publications to join calls for “an end to President Trump’s sustained assault on the #FreePress” through editorials with the newspaper’s op-ed editor Marjorie Pritchard saying nearly 350 had pledged to participate.

In St Louis, the Post-Dispatch called journalists “the truest of patriots”, while the Chicago Sun-Times said it believes most Americans know Mr Trump is talking nonsense.

The Fayetteville Observer said it hopes Mr Trump will stop making such accusations, “but we’re not holding our breath”, adding: “Rather, we hope all the president’s supporters will recognise what he’s doing – manipulating reality to get what he wants.”

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The New York Times joined in the movement, saying: “If you haven’t already, please subscribe to your local papers.

“Praise them when you think they’ve done a good job and criticise them when you think they could do better. We’re all in this together.”

<em>Backlash – Donald Trump has faced a backlash from media organisation across the UK (Picture: AP)</em>
Backlash – Donald Trump has faced a backlash from media organisation across the UK (Picture: AP)

But The Wall Street Journal, which said it was not participating, noted in a column by James Freeman that the Boston Globe’s campaign went against the independence that editorial boards claim to seek.

The US president however doubled down on his criticism on Twitter calling the media the ‘opposition party’.