For the second time in a month, Correia posted the link to jogoode.com on Twitter, which brings people to a website displaying a meme of President Donald Trump declaring “You are fake news.”
FALL RIVER — The Herald News is standing behind its reporter Jo C. Goode as Mayor Jasiel Correia II has repeatedly attempted to discredit her reporting through a website he created.
For the second time in a month, Correia posted the link to jogoode.com on Twitter, which brings people to a website displaying a meme of President Donald Trump declaring “You are fake news.”
The latest link came in response to a Tweet from Goode that a crew affiliated with HBO and Mark Wahlberg was filming Correia in Government Center Thursday afternoon. The first instance came after Goode posted a question on Twitter on Nov. 24 asking if Correia was moving from his Bank Street apartment. The Herald News previously had reported that Correia had been served a notice to quit by Dec. 1, sharing the document on heraldnews.com.
“It just is what it is,” Correia said when asked about the site. “Jo reports fake news and I stand by it.”
Correia said that the film crew Goode witnessed personally Thursday had no association with either HBO or Wahlberg. Another source not permitted to discuss the filming but familiar with the project said the production company is associated with Wahlberg.
Correia declined to say who the crew was affiliated with or provide contact information.
Correia said, in the case of the Tweet asking if he was moving, that it was “fake news” because his moving was not news.
When asked to remove the site, Correia said he would “until I see another story from Jo Goode that I think is fake news.”
Lisa Strattan, vice president of news for GateHouse New England and general manager of The Herald News, condemned Correia’s use of the site.
“It’s simply stunning to me that the mayor has chosen to align himself with President Trump’s sophomoric assessment of legitimate news-gathering operations by creating a ‘site’ about one of our hard-working reporters,” Strattan said. “While I appreciate the mayor’s candor in admitting he is the person who created this nonsense in our reporter’s good name, that makes it nonetheless outrageous that the chief executive of the city is engaging in such childish and spiteful behavior. If it weren’t for The Herald News it’s unlikely our citizens would be aware of the full extent of the predicament in which the mayor is now embroiled. The mayor ought to be celebrating the solid local reporting The Herald News delivers, not undermining it in one of the most juvenile manners possible. We stand steadfastly behind our Staff Writer Jo Goode and the level of professionalism and expertise she brings to her job and the community on a daily basis.”
The use of the “fake news” term has gained popularity since Trump started using it in an effort to criticize news outlets he didn’t agree with during his run for president.
Supporters of Correia have picked up on usage of the term, including chanting it during Correia’s presentation at Government Center five days after his indictment and arrest on federal fraud charges in an effort to discredit claims made by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.
Correia said he does not condemn those who would make such statements.
“I do think everyone has a right to freedom of speech, just like there is freedom of the press,” Correia said.
He later added that the fake news term, in his mind, “is an all encompassing term” that is more about bias in reporting.
Maureen Boyle, the director of journalism at Stonehill College and a former journalist throughout southeastern Massachusetts, said Correia’s use of the term and targeting of Goode “is just plain wrong.”
“To have a sitting mayor Tweet something like this to a reporter is appalling, unprofessional and inappropriate,” Boyle said. “It sends a message to the public that what’s being reported isn’t true and that just isn’t the case.”