On August 16, some 343 media outlets agreed to join a Boston Globe campaign aimed at publishing editorials denouncing what the media have called a "dirty war against the free press" allegedly organized by US President Donald Trump. The Globe claims that the current administration's policy is an organized "assault on the press" and is trying to portray it as the "enemy of the people."
READ MORE: Some 200 US News Outlets Join Campaign Against Trump's 'Attacks' on Media
The campaign united both small local media and huge news conglomerates, from the US and abroad. Among the media outlets joining the campaign were The New York Times, The Guardian, Chicago Sun Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald and others, many of them championing the Democratic Party's agenda.
The anti-Trump media campaign has ignited a controversy online. Many netizens slammed it, stressing that it is "fake news media" that they are the real "enemy of the people," not just any outlet.
Some, while admitting Trump has acted harshly with regard to the US media, noted that the media are no better by ganging up on Trump and that the campaign will further enhance such an attitude among The Donald's supporters.
Several Twitterians added though that media bias towards Trump was partially caused by his own remarks about them.
Others have shown skepticism about the effectiveness of the media campaign.
Many netizens expressed their support for the media's campaign, claiming such actions are crucial for the survival of democracy.
Media vs Trump
US President Trump has a long and acrimonious history with US media outlets as many of them harshly criticized Trump during his presidential campaign. The situation hasn't changed since his inauguration and many of Trump's decisions are regularly scolded in the media, sometimes even prior to their announcement.
Trump, on numerous occasions, has accused several major US media outlets, journalists and TV anchors of publishing "fake news" allegedly based on leaks from unreliable or even "nonexistent" anonymous sources. Certain news outlets have even been excluded from the White House journalist pool because of these accusations.
READ MORE: 'Fake, Fake, Disgusting News': Trump Slams Media for Bad Coverage of His Summits
Although this is the first time media outlets have openly joined forces in order to write against the president, they have participated in non-coordinated "campaigns" devoted to other aspects of Trump's presidency.
One of the first such "campaigns" was devoted to speculations around the difference between the number of people attending the inaugurations of Obama and Trump, claiming the latter had much smaller attendance figures. Trump's hairstyle and spray tan, which have been widely mocked in the media, a "pee tape' mentioned in the infamous Steele dossier, allegedly showing how Trump hired prostitutes to urinate on a bed in the presidential suite at the Moscow Ritz Carlton all received widespread attention.