So let me get this right.

U.S. President Donald Trump, the most powerful politician in the world, says he doesn鈥檛 like U.S. mainstream media because it reports, what he calls, 鈥渇ake news鈥� i.e. stories he doesn鈥檛 like being reported.

And by doing so, the news outlets are 鈥渢he enemy of the American people.鈥�

But he continually makes statements that are not true, or accusations with no evidence to back them up, and expects the media to report those utterances verbatim. That information, in his mind, is not 鈥渇ake news,鈥� despite the fact it鈥檚 not true. Am I missing something here?

Seems to me, the information Trump and his spokesfolks are spouting is what鈥檚 fake, while the reporting that it鈥檚 being said is news.

It takes 鈥渟pin鈥� to a whole new level.

But it鈥檚 not just at the upper end of the U.S. political system where spin is substituted for fact.

Politicians at all levels, in all jurisdictions and in all countries have been accused of doing the same thing at one time or another.

In a business where you are the ultimate in contract worker鈥攑olitics鈥攕pinning a line to either make yourself look better than you are, more in touch with the public than you are, more compassionate than you are or just plain more honest than you are is a time-honoured tradition.

I knew a former attorney-general of this province who once told me in politics you get elected to get re-elected. Coming from someone I thought of at the time as the most-straight-laced, honest politician I had ever met, I was taken aback by the cynicism of his statement.

Here I was鈥攁lbeit much earlier in my career as a reporter鈥攖hinking politicians got into this business for far more altruistic reasons. And, after nearly 30 years, I鈥檓 a lot more cynical and ready to believe it. But I would also like to think that some politicians do at least start off with the right intentions. But the stone-cold reality is being in power doesn鈥檛 mean much, at least in the big picture, if you can鈥檛 stay there.

Sure, you may get somethings done in the short-term. But real change takes times and that time can only come with re-election. In the U.S., a one-term president is seen as a bit of a failure. Sure,they are limited to only two four-year terms, but if they can鈥檛 win re-election, they are seen as children of a lesser god. Just ask Jimmy Carter or George Bush Senior.

In Canada, we tend to let our politicians, especially those at the top, linger far longer. The rule of thumb here seems to be a government has a shelf-life of about 10-12 years. That鈥檚 at least three elections.

And during that time, the politicians and the spin doctors alike produce plenty of 鈥渇ake鈥� news to keep the support up and the political donations rolling in.

But no other politician, despite their disdain for the reporters, has attacked the media like Trump has in the U.S. That鈥檚 because most are too smart for that.

And that鈥檚 because no mater how low we in the media fall in the estimation of the public, there鈥檚 always one group we surpass when it comes to the public鈥檚 choice for who to believe鈥攑oliticians.

Alistair Waters is the assistant editor of the Capital News.