No, the Media Is Not the Enemy of the American People, But They Need to Explain This

[BookShaka]

In the past few months, we’ve seen several public incidents involving Trump supporters or even members of his administration, and members of the opposition. These episodes range from accosting, harassment, and even assault.

Personally, I don’t think the fact that someone clings to a different worldview than I do means they should be treated in a physically violent manner. Apparently, that mindset isn’t as widely held as I once believed. Now, we have high-profile individuals like Representative Maxine Waters encouraging citizens to harass Trump officials in public. Unfortunately, her attempt at persuasion isn’t the first of its kind nor will it be the last.

Corresponding with the increase in aggressive tendencies is the back-and-forth between the president and the media. President Trump routinely calls the media “the enemy of the American people.” Instead of using the term “enemy” for actual foreign threats, like Kim Jong-un or Vladimir Putin, he uses it to describe CNN, the New York Times, and similar outlets. This is harmful and does nothing to spur on constructive dialogue. It certainly doesn’t motivate news organizations to take a hard look at themselves. Statements on the media complex could – and should – be handled better. But then again, gentle language is not the president’s strong point.

No, the media is not our enemy. Each outlet is full of bias because humans are at the helm. It’s never going to be any other way. That being said, they do need to be responsible in their reporting. Opinion columns and punditry is one thing, but when it comes to facts, there is only black and white.

On Monday, my colleague Brandon Morse covered the incident concerning Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens while they ate breakfast in Philadelphia. These two were harassed and assaulted by members of an Antifa mob. They were screamed at and had water poured on them, and Leftist lunatics are to blame.

The encounter was violent and criminal. Yes, as someone who isn’t really a fan of Kirk or Owens, for reasons that I won’t get into here, I can admit that they were horribly wronged and the perpetrators should be held accountable. (Isn’t that amazing?) But some members of the media, in their reaction to Monday’s mob treatment, took a…less accusatorial approach.

Over at The Hill, the protesters were simply “confronting” a “far-right group.”

Confronting is to challenge someone. Said challenge may lead to an argument, but the idea is that there is a mutual exchange of ideas. Sure, these ideas and the feelings behind them may be angry or downright hostile, but a confrontation certainly allows for the other party to have their say.

This was not a confrontation. It was an assault.

Also, there was no group involved. Kirk and Owens were two people pitted against an angry mob. As I’m sure you’re aware, Antifa’s modus operandi involves assault, vandalization, and violent attacks.
You in no way have to agree with Kirk and Owens to report the truth of the matter.

There are other examples but they all show the same thing: a sanitization on the part of the media of the basic facts in order to direct a narrative. Thankfully, there is video from Monday’s breakfast mob meeting, but that’s not always the case.

Despite all of this, I still maintain that the media is not the enemy of our nation and the people who reside within its borders. We have actual foes and real, serious threats, both foreign and domestic. The media is often problematic and obsessed with a narrative, but they are not the enemy. It’s imperative that we support a free and open press even if we disagree with them on a regular basis. In fact, just because you oppose some take from a news outlet doesn’t mean they are wrong. In the case of the president, he believes any negative reporting – even if it is solely based in fact – is proof of fabrication or a sign that the media is his rival.

Just as the media is not always right, they are also not always wrong. Any extreme position that confers either distinction on them is wholly inaccurate in itself.

We are all sinners and saints.

No, the Media Is Not the Enemy of the American People, But They Need to Explain This — RedState

 

[Penelope]

Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens are provocateurs. If they are not noticed they make sure they are. Funny how Brandon Morse just happened to be there and cover it.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The media is the enemy of the people and it is time for the people to understand that.

 

[S.J.]

For many years conservatives have been diplomatic about their criticism of the media and their blatant bias. Has it worked or even had the slightest effect? No, they've only gotten bolder. An honest media is not the enemy but what we have today is not an honest media, they are political activists for the left, and calling them out with nice terms like "slanted" is not going to get us anywhere. Trump is right, they ARE the enemy of the people at this point in time and have been for several decades now. Screw all that gentle persuasion crap, the only way they're gonna change is if they lose all credibility with the people and are called out in not so nice terms. Those elitist bastards deserve every bit of what Trump is giving them and then some.

 

[S.J.]

Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens are provocateurs. If they are not noticed they make sure they are. Funny how Brandon Morse just happened to be there and cover it.

Blame the victim. Typical. I guess they're supposed to keep their mouths shut and never say anything in opposition to the thugs so they don't make them mad?

 

[Penelope]

Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens are provocateurs. If they are not noticed they make sure they are. Funny how Brandon Morse just happened to be there and cover it.

Blame the victim. Typical. I guess they're supposed to keep their mouths shut and never say anything in opposition to the thugs so they don't make them mad?

Do you understand what provocateurs mean? The Potus is an extreme provocateur.

 

[night_son]

The Leftist philosophies driving and steering the MSM cannot be reasoned with. The only common language Left and Right media outlets share is ad revenue, viewer counts, subscriptions, and self-aggrandizement. Left leaning media in particular is a psychological warfare operation geared toward dipping the "news" in a coating of ideological paint before presenting and "explaining" it to the American people--a process known as spin. Unfortunately, in using our First Amendment right to freedom of the press as a misinformation weapon against us, the Leftist media has become a very real and dangerous enemy of the people.

 

[Penelope]

The Leftist philosophies driving and steering the MSM cannot be reasoned with. The only common language Left and Right media outlets share is ad revenue, viewer counts, subscriptions, and self-aggrandizement. Left leaning media in particular is a psychological warfare operation geared toward dipping the "news" in a coating of ideological paint before presenting and "explaining" it to the American people--a process known as spin. Unfortunately, in using our First Amendment right to freedom of the press as a misinformation weapon against us, the Leftist media has become a very real and dangerous enemy of the people.

You might want to read about you sparkling clean Turning Point.
Allegations of Racial Bias and Illegal Campaign Activity at a Conservative Nonprofit That Seeks to Transform College Campuses

 

[S.J.]

Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens are provocateurs. If they are not noticed they make sure they are. Funny how Brandon Morse just happened to be there and cover it.

Blame the victim. Typical. I guess they're supposed to keep their mouths shut and never say anything in opposition to the thugs so they don't make them mad?

Do you understand what provocateurs mean? The Potus is an extreme provocateur.

And I guess you also consider people with Trump stickers on their cars "extreme provocateurs" as well?

 

[Dogmaphobe]

The media takes a very active role in shaping perception, and is intentionally manipulative. It distorts through framing mechanisms, it is very selective in advancing stories to suit a narrative and it is no longer invested in reporting the news but in inventing it.

Only a complete idiot would fail to notice how easily it labels people 'far right", Alt right, etc, but does not do the same for the left. Good grief -- ANTIFA thugs can assault people for nothing but wearing a MAGA hat, and the media frames it as if it was the former who was the extremist and not the latter. this is blatantly dishonest and manipulative.

As far as selectivity is concerned, the media stokes the fires of race conflict. They are very careful in elevating any action anywhere in America that puts a white person in a bad light when dealing with a black person and completely ignores the far greater number of cases where the reverse is true.

I don't know if I would call the media the enemy per se, but it certainly does not serve the needs of the American people in terms of honesty and integrity. We shouldn't necessarily require our media to be the mechanism that unites us, but we sure don't need it taking such an obvious and destructive role in dividing us.

 

[blastoff]

I can’t help but smile every time I see a Hillary bumper sticker.

I see one and I immediately flash back to the MSNBC stooges and their long faces election night and next morning. The all-time world’s greatest schadenfreude experience for me!

 

[BookShaka]

Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens are provocateurs. If they are not noticed they make sure they are. Funny how Brandon Morse just happened to be there and cover it.

So since you believe them to be provocateurs it’s okay for The Hill to pretty much lie about the incident? Two people, not a group, were attacked, not confronted, by violent maniacs, not protesters—they tweaked their headline to control the narrative, but that’s okay with you bc you don’t agree with the people who were attacked.

You’re begging to be lied to and then shower thanks upon the liars.

 

[my2¢]

Back 40 and 50 years ago network television news was a losing proposition which drained profits. But journalistic endeavors were a matter of prestige for the networks and the public was well served. That all changed 20-30 years ago when journalism took a back seat and news department became just another part of the network's entertainment. National TV news used to center on events that shaped people lives, now politics takes center stage and it is treated as if a football game. In comparison to the old, today's news producers have the attitude similar to those producing professional wrestling. Much to the OP's point, confrontation is preferred over civil discourse. It is seen in attitudes here on this board where there's an overwhelming tendency to see position on matters determine by how it affect one's team, being that (D) or the (R)'s.

 

[jwoodie]

Yes, the MSM is the enemy of the American people, just as it was to the German people in the 1930s.

 

[Votto]

In the past few months, we’ve seen several public incidents involving Trump supporters or even members of his administration, and members of the opposition. These episodes range from accosting, harassment, and even assault.

Personally, I don’t think the fact that someone clings to a different worldview than I do means they should be treated in a physically violent manner. Apparently, that mindset isn’t as widely held as I once believed. Now, we have high-profile individuals like Representative Maxine Waters encouraging citizens to harass Trump officials in public. Unfortunately, her attempt at persuasion isn’t the first of its kind nor will it be the last.

Corresponding with the increase in aggressive tendencies is the back-and-forth between the president and the media. President Trump routinely calls the media “the enemy of the American people.” Instead of using the term “enemy” for actual foreign threats, like Kim Jong-un or Vladimir Putin, he uses it to describe CNN, the New York Times, and similar outlets. This is harmful and does nothing to spur on constructive dialogue. It certainly doesn’t motivate news organizations to take a hard look at themselves. Statements on the media complex could – and should – be handled better. But then again, gentle language is not the president’s strong point.

No, the media is not our enemy. Each outlet is full of bias because humans are at the helm. It’s never going to be any other way. That being said, they do need to be responsible in their reporting. Opinion columns and punditry is one thing, but when it comes to facts, there is only black and white.

On Monday, my colleague Brandon Morse covered the incident concerning Turning Point USA’s own Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens while they ate breakfast in Philadelphia. These two were harassed and assaulted by members of an Antifa mob. They were screamed at and had water poured on them, and Leftist lunatics are to blame.

The encounter was violent and criminal. Yes, as someone who isn’t really a fan of Kirk or Owens, for reasons that I won’t get into here, I can admit that they were horribly wronged and the perpetrators should be held accountable. (Isn’t that amazing?) But some members of the media, in their reaction to Monday’s mob treatment, took a…less accusatorial approach.

Over at The Hill, the protesters were simply “confronting” a “far-right group.”

Confronting is to challenge someone. Said challenge may lead to an argument, but the idea is that there is a mutual exchange of ideas. Sure, these ideas and the feelings behind them may be angry or downright hostile, but a confrontation certainly allows for the other party to have their say.

This was not a confrontation. It was an assault.

Also, there was no group involved. Kirk and Owens were two people pitted against an angry mob. As I’m sure you’re aware, Antifa’s modus operandi involves assault, vandalization, and violent attacks.
You in no way have to agree with Kirk and Owens to report the truth of the matter.

There are other examples but they all show the same thing: a sanitization on the part of the media of the basic facts in order to direct a narrative. Thankfully, there is video from Monday’s breakfast mob meeting, but that’s not always the case.

Despite all of this, I still maintain that the media is not the enemy of our nation and the people who reside within its borders. We have actual foes and real, serious threats, both foreign and domestic. The media is often problematic and obsessed with a narrative, but they are not the enemy. It’s imperative that we support a free and open press even if we disagree with them on a regular basis. In fact, just because you oppose some take from a news outlet doesn’t mean they are wrong. In the case of the president, he believes any negative reporting – even if it is solely based in fact – is proof of fabrication or a sign that the media is his rival.

Just as the media is not always right, they are also not always wrong. Any extreme position that confers either distinction on them is wholly inaccurate in itself.

We are all sinners and saints.

No, the Media Is Not the Enemy of the American People, But They Need to Explain This — RedState

Perhaps conservative should quietly pull out of advertising who they support politically.

So when the phone rings and ask who you will vote for say, "Why the Democrats of course".

In the former USSR, you had to do this to survive.