Which story is fake news?

Look at the above headlines, in stories published a couple of weeks apart, reporting on the same topic. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who’s lying?

Maybe neither. Life isn’t always that simple. Neither is journalism, which is subject to the perceptions (and perhaps political orientation) of the reporter. Haaretz is a liberal Israeli newspaper. The Tablet is a conservative Jewish magazine.

I discovered those two headlines as I was researching something about Jewish voting patterns. Spoiler Alert: They are overwhelmingly liberal. There are historical and cultural reasons for that.

The Tablet story was written before the election, and based on a roundtable discussion with Jewish opinion makers. The Haaretz story was published after the election, when results were known. Did Trump do badly, did Jews steer clear of the Trump wave?

Trump got 32% of the Jewish vote in 2024, slightly behind the 35% garnered by George H.W. Bush in 1988, and the 39% awarded to Ronald Reagan in 1980. The only Republican to hit 40% was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. On the less side, George W. Bush snagged a miserable 19% in 2000, followed by 24% in 2004. In 2008, John McCain got 22%, and Mitt Romney got 30% in 2012.

So did Trump do so badly with Jewish voters? For perspective, Trump won 24% of the Black male vote.

They say figures don’t lie, but liars can figure. Maybe “lie“ is too strong. Mislead, maybe?

Here’s an example. Trump’s approval rating right now is 49%, according to one respected poll.

His fans say that rating is the highest he has ever enjoyed. That is true.

His critics say it is the lowest of any American President at the same point in his term. That is also true.

One is framed in a positive light. The other gets shade.

Each is true, but incomplete. The adage in journalism is that there are (at least) two sides to a story, and a fair journalist — writing news — will give each side an opportunity to be heard. (Opinion writers, and editorial cartoonists, don’t have to be fair. I’d like it better if they were, but there’s no obligation.)

So what’s the takeaway from this? Don’t swallow anything whole. Be a little skeptical.

Whenever possible, use more than one news source. I know that’s asking a lot, and most people won’t do it.

At the least, keep in mind that anything you read, or see, may be factual, and still not be entirely true.