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As the recent Los Angeles riots escalated into looting, arson, attacks on police and finally a Democrat-ordered curfew, the major news media had one major message to tell us – that everything was “mostly peaceful.”
In a repeat of an embarrassing moment from the last time the left threw a violent national temper tantrum, the press once again downplayed or flat out lied about the nature of what was going on. It didn’t matter how they said it, the talking points were out, the riots were “peaceful” again. Forget those burning cars, looted businesses and acts of violence. Even Mayor Karen Bass admitted things got bad. That’s just one of the embarrassing nuggets from the latest round of leftist violence. Here’s a list of my top seven remarkable moments.
1. Sorta ‘peaceful’
Outlet after outlet has slipped the word “peaceful” into their coverage of the violent riots. There’s The New York Times with “largely peaceful” twice in the same story and one more “peaceful” for good measure. Reuters said, “largely peaceful,” too. “The View,” scarily an actual ABC News program, had host Whoopi Goldberg claim, “it’s been peaceful for days.” Over at CNN, they said people were there to protest, “initially peacefully.” Even wars are initially peaceful. Till they aren’t. The Washington Post called the protests “muted,” and, honestly, we’d all love to see rioters muted or even gagged. Sometime comedian Jon Stewart went with, “peaceful protesters, mixed with anarchists and vandals.”
Then, invoking the meme from the last rioting, NPR said, “mostly peaceful.” Just what you expect from an allegedly mostly neutral outlet. So did CBS News and Axios, etc. You don’t see news stories saying Fourth of July parades are mostly peaceful, because they’re legit peaceful. And journalists don’t have to lie to make people think that. Overall, the Media Research Center (my former workplace) found 211 examples of CNN and MSNBC personalities using the “peaceful” party line. And they’ve only just begun.
2. Civil War
“The View” returns to the list, whining about the dangers of “militarizing” the protests by sending in the National Guard. Host Whoopi Goldberg repeatedly called for “states’ rights” like Democrats did in the 1860s. Typically unhinged Sunny Hostin warned about policing “Americans’ protest activity.” She neglected to note that the Guard was sent in because of the actions of non-citizens. Then came the kicker.
Hostin continued that, “an army turned inside to police its citizens can cause chaos and fascism.” Goldberg added, “Civil war.” Hostin responded, “And civil war.” The idea that enforcing the law could lead to civil war is the kind of threat Marxists make. If you try to make me obey the law, I will break more laws.
3. Loco news
Every protest, it seems, has one memorable quote. This time it comes from ABC7 Los Angeles. They were getting a live report and watching scenes of cars burning, when anchor Jory Rand cautioned not about rioters, but about police. “It could turn very volatile if you move law enforcement in there in the wrong way, and turn what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation and altercation between officers and demonstrators,” he said. It’s almost like you can picture rioters cooking S’mores over roasting Waymo cars.
4. Blaming firefighters for arson
CNN co-anchor Dana Bash, D-Bedlam, did what the left always does. She blamed Trump. On her show, “Inside Politics With Dana Bash,” she ranted, “I know this is a promise that he gave on the campaign trail to do whatever he could to deport illegal immigrants,” she said. Then she bashed a Trump post, saying, “But what you just posted is basically an arsonist saying, ‘I better call the fire department because they got to come in fast to get the flames out.” She concluded with, “That seems like what‘s going on.”
This is especially clueless considering the numerous instances of actual arson going on in LA. They’re so bad that Waymo had to suspend ride service in the area after five of its cars were burned. That should be the kind of arson Bash was criticizing. Of course, it wasn’t.
5. Exaggeration
CNN’s tiny voice of the resistance, Brian Stelter, did his best to try and minimize the violence and arson. He tweeted, “Offline, in real-world Los Angeles, most Angelenos are having a perfectly normal day. But online, the fires and riots are still raging. Seeking clicks, clout and chaos, unvetted social media accounts are preying on fears about where last weekend’s clashes will lead…”
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He’s almost rejecting the concept of journalism. (Well, it is CNN.) Don’t report on that triple murder, most people nearby weren’t harmed. Don’t report on the Ukraine war, most of Europe isn’t under attack. Skip your COVID-19 coverage, most people didn’t die. It’s like an English 8000 level class in rationalization.
6. Macho, macho man
The media never ignore the narrative. The one they are pushing this time is that absentee Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom gained ground as a leader of the resistance. “Morning Joe” gave nine words to border czar Tom Homan warning politicians not to interfere with immigration enforcement, “I’ll say it about anyone. You cross that line.” What followed was over a minute and a half of Newsom PR quotes trying to sound tough, including, “He’s a tough guy. He knows where to find me.”
Other outlets were just a bit less obvious. CNN ran with, “Newsom and California confront Trump with a potential blueprint for Democrats.” Politico has done its darnedest to make this a big moment for the California governor. “Newsom’s speech rallies anti-Trump movement,” read one headline. “Newsom’s speech rallies anti-Trump movement,” went another. Go watch a clip of both people and message me if you think Newsom is more macho.
7. All the news unfit to print
The print press certainly embarrasses itself on every major news topic. The Times wrote an editorial claiming, “Trump Calling Troops Into Los Angeles Is the Real Emergency.” Not the rioting, looting, burning and violence, but trying to stop it.
The Post ran a letter headline claiming, “‘He’s waging a war on us’: As Trump escalates, Angelenos defend their city.” Yes, blame Trump. Except he’s not the one burning Waymos, looting an Apple store or throwing stones off an overpass at police.
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