Denzel Washington shares thoughts about journalism and fake news
Denzel Washington is making the rounds discussing his latest movie Fences, but at the Washington D.C. premiere of the film he took some time on the red carpet to revisit a topic absent from the film: the media.
The Academy Award-winning actor (and former journalism student at Fordham University) discussed the state of news today and, in the process, spit some real truths about the "fake news" epidemic we find ourselves swimming through.
"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read it, you're misinformed," Washington said in response to a question regarding a fake news story about the actor's political leanings before the election.
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Washington then asked the reporter what the long-term affects of too much information would be before explaining that one of the problems is the "need to be first, not even to be true anymore."
"So what a responsibility you all have to tell the truth—not just to be first, but to tell the truth," Washington told the reporter and other members of the press surrounding him.
"In our society, now it's just first. Who cares? Get it out there," he explained. "We don't care who it hurts. We don't care who we destroy. We don't care if it's true. Just say it and sell it," Washington lamented.
"Just say it, sell it. Anything you practice you'll get good at -- including BS." You can watch Washington's full remarks below, beginning at the 17:50 mark.
