From KUT:
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says reporters should stop holding him to the same standards as a news organization when he posts fabricated news stories on his Facebook page.
“I’m not a news source,” Miller said in an interview with KUT. “I think everyone needs to realize that Facebook is not always a reliable source if you’re wanting the factual news.”
Miller requested an interview with KUT after we aired a conversation this week with Texas Tribune reporter Jim Malewitz, who analyzed ten fake news stories on Miller’s profile.
“Some of them were fairly outrageous, including the idea that Muslims had rallied around police officers at the press conference [after] a beheading and chanted, ‘Praise Allah,'” Malewitz told us.
Miller argues that many of the stories were satirical in nature and intended for readers to draw their own conclusions.
“It’s like Fox News. I report, you decide if it’s true or not,” Miller said. “Y’all are holding me to the same standards as you are a news organization, and it’s just Facebook.”
Miller was an agricultural advisor to President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign and is widely reported to be in the running as a possible cabinet pick. The Texas Agriculture Commissioner says he is still in contact with the transition team and joins in on conference calls and updates.
