Trump ridicules mainstream media, calls it 'joke'

Ridiculing the mainstream media, United States President Donald Trump has stated that "much of mainstream media has become a joke", adding that his use of social media is "the only way to get the truth out".

"Wow, more than 90% of Fake News Media coverage of me is negative, with numerous forced retractions of untrue stories. Hence my use of Social Media, the only way to get the truth out. Much of Mainstream Meadia has become a joke! @foxandfriends," Trump said in a Twitter post.

The President was referring to a media research study that was cited on 'Fox and Friends' on Wednesday morning (local time), reported the Hill.

This comes in the backdrop of the strained relations between the administration and the media after the White House hit journalists for a series of corrections made by media outlets such as CNN and ABC News.

Citing a single anonymous source, ABC's chief investigative correspondent, Brian Ross, reported that Flynn would testify that Trump had ordered him to make contact with Russians about foreign policy while Trump was still a candidate.

ABC News had issued a "clarification" to Ross's report, saying that Trump's alleged directive came post he'd been elected president.

The President also targeted Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel on Saturday, calling for the publication to fire him after he tweeted a photo of an empty arena before a Trump rally in Florida that had been taken hours before the event started.

Later, Weigel deleted the photo and said he was confused by the image of Trump's walking in the bottom right corner of the arena.

"Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," he said in a tweet.

Trump often uses the term 'Fake news' to address the mainstream media.