Tell TV Networks: Fact Check Trump’s State of the Union

Every TV executive in America knows what’s coming on Tuesday night.

Donald Trump will stand before Congress and deliver a State of the Union packed with lies about the economy, immigration, voting rights, and his own record. 

Yet year after year, networks air these speeches live, uninterrupted, allowing falsehoods to spread to millions in real time. A small disclaimer or next-day fact-check isn’t enough. By then, the damage is done.

Some Democrats are choosing to boycott Trump’s address in protest. But TV networks face their own moral test. They are not required to function as unfiltered megaphones for misinformation.

We are not asking networks to silence a president. We are demanding responsibility. If networks choose to air Trump’s speech, they must provide real-time, on-screen fact-checking for every false claim. And if they cannot guarantee that level of journalistic integrity, they should refuse to broadcast it live at all.

The public airwaves are a public trust. Network executives have a duty to protect viewers from deliberate deception — especially when the stakes involve democracy, voting rights, immigration policy, and the economy.

Tell ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and MS NOW: Don’t broadcast lies unchecked. Commit to real-time fact-checking of Trump’s State of the Union. Defend journalism. Defend democracy. 

The petition to major TV network executives reads: "Do not air Donald Trump’s State of the Union without real-time fact-checking. If you cannot guarantee immediate corrections of false statements, refuse to broadcast it live. The American people deserve truth, not propaganda."