Friday, May 18, 2018

It's Been A Banner Week for A Pathetically Dishonest Media


(RANT) There have been many memorable weeks of media dishonesty since Donald Trump was elected, but I can't remember any that quite compares with what we’ve witnessed the last several days. We have long passed the point of just writing off the hysterical lies being excused as simply mistakes. They are clearly not to anyone with a room temperature number IQ, and only hate filled hearts and the minds of fools could believe otherwise. They are deliberate and it’s time to start asking what exactly it means for our predisposition towards what many still falsely believe are the beacons of the truth. 

The banner week for the media began with the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Despite this move being mandated by US law as far back as 1995, and despite the fact that Israel has the right to choose it’s own capital, this was of course spun as the worst thing since Trump took two scoops of ice cream instead of one. Cable news stations paraded “expert” after expert to tell us exactly how bad this move was, because when needing advice on good foreign policy, dragging in Obama administration failures is 'standard operating procedure'.


It mattered not one bit to the media that Hamas stoked riots in the Gaza strip using human shields of women and children to protect terrorists who were trying to breach the border and kill Israelis. Not even Hamas and it’s members are willing to lie so brazenly as to describe these riots as peaceful, unarmed protests. The Media’s response? Hold my beer.  

Aside from the outright lies about the rioters being unarmed, the media also chose to assert somehow it was Ivanka Trump’s fault (Daddy's Little Ghoul) that Hamas is a violent terrorist organization that sacrifices it’s people to garner friendly coverage. The disconnect from reality here is stunning. To see our press so deliberately mislead and lie in order to propagate Hamas propaganda, which even Hamas is willing to admit isn’t true, is disturbing.

But to top that the media showed exactly how ruthless they really can be: the Trump statement at the roundtable on sanctuary city policies. The context was never in doubt (full transcript is at the above link). A freakin' fifth grader would of had no problem understanding exactly who the President was talking about when he said animals. After days of lying about Israel and Hamas, would the media think of backing off a little and make sure they got this story right? Of course not. Tweets from C-Span, The Hill, CNN, and The Washington Post all pushed this objectively untrue narrative. You’d think after the first 24 hours, most in the media would recognize they’ve stepped in shit and would at least just stop talking about it in lieu of admitting fault. You’d be wrong. Many doubled down by actually defending the humanity of MS-13, the most violent, inhuman street gang in the world.

These organizations no longer deserve the consistent benefit of the doubt given to them about their importance to our society.

Am I saying that the government should shut these institutions down or that the 1st Amendment isn’t important? Absolutely Not. CNN, MSNBC, NYTs, WaPo, etc. should be able to say and report whatever they want without government interference. Nothing I’m saying should be construed as being hostile to freedom of the press.  Freedom of the press is not synonymous with CNN. The 1st Amendment is not formally ensconced as The Washington Post. These institutions can and should always be allowed to operate under the protections of the 1st Amendment, but the existence of certain specific outlets is not a cornerstone of freedom in this country.

My assertion is not that they should be put out of business. It’s not that they should be shut down. It’s not that we should boycott them. No, it’s simply that we owe no loyalty to these people nor do we need to assert they are inherently of any value. I no longer give a rat's ass if the NYTs exists or not. I do not think the Republic’s fate hangs in the balance on CNN’s ability to put out biased, garbage cable programming. If MSNBC stopped airing tomorrow, someone would take their place. Freedom of the press would live on. In fact, I’d posit that the investigative reporting from right leaning sites like The Daily Caller has been far more valuable than the toxic, one note nonsense constantly being put out by traditional news divisions. While cable news channels are interviewing greasy Michael Avenatti for the 157th time in ten weeks, there’s real journalism going on out there, sometime uncovering things that truly matter.

I understand the wants of the people for the whole truth. What’s happened over the last two years of consistent false stories, bias, and activism from our media is not normal, further fueling social media hysteria with misinformation.  It’s dangerous, divisive, and wrong. It’s time to start holding them accountable. (/RANT)

* Thank You Mary Jane Ankle Straps  &  Wirecutter for the Linkage! *

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