In recent years a lot of attention has been placed on media bias. Those on the right of the political spectrum are always pointing out the left wing bias of the mainstream media such as the New York Times, CNN, and no one’s favourite, MSNBC.
Those on the left deny such bias because they are incapable of seeing it. To them, left wing views are not biased but merely the truth. Divergent views are wrong and those who accuse the media of a progressive bias are morons who simply do not understand what the truth is.
If last week is any indication, there is a more serious problem with the media than just the run-of-the-mill bias; it is the absolute stupidity of some of those who appear on major networks.
Diane Rehm
NPR’s Diane Rehm was interviewing Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the Democrat nomination for president. Rehm didn’t ask but stated as a fact that Sanders, who is Jewish, is both a citizen of the United States and Israel.
Sanders responded he is not an Israeli citizen and has never lived in that country although he has visited there. According to Rehm, she has a “list” that clearly shows Sanders as well as other Jews are citizens of Israel.
The “list” Rehm spoke of was provided by an anti-Semitic group. It is nothing more than a Jew-hating conspiracy that every Jewish person is automatically a citizen of Israel and therefore should not hold elective office, especially the presidency, because they have divided loyalties.
Rehm’s excuse for her statement of fact about Sanders dual citizenship was shocking. She read the list on a Facebook post. Now we all know if something is on the Internet it must be true, but this alleged “journalist” was willing to accept something whose only source was Facebook.
Twenty years ago it would have been hard to believe that a journalist would take something from an unreliable source and present it as fact. But today’s journalists have virtually no standards. In today’s world, reading Facebook and other Internet sites poses as journalism.
Rehm believed what she wanted to believe and used it to tar not only Sanders but all Jews who hold public office with “facts” she learned on the Internet. It is not even like Sanders ever has a chance to become president but she felt the need to question his loyalty to the United States for no other reason other than he is a Jew. Disgusting.
So for all those who get their information from NPR, it’s better to skip the middleman and go straight to Facebook.
Melissa Harris-Perry
Speaking of Facebook, the source of news for NPR reporters, Rachel Dolezal is trending quite nicely on the social media site. To those who like to create and share memes, Dolezal is the gift that keeps on giving.
Dolezal of course is the “African-American” woman who is the president of the Spokane NAACP. Her parents, for whatever reason, outed her saying they were both white and so is she. The parents provided pictures of Dolezal when she was a young and obviously white child.
On MSNBC, Melissa Harris-Perry asked whether Dolezal might really be black. While she did not specifically compare the NAACP exec to Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, she pondered whether Dolezal is transracial in the same way Jenner is transsexual.
So a black person in America is anyone who identifies as black. Like gender, reality is not important; it’s how you “feel” that matters. She feels black, ergo she is black.
If Harris-Perry’s views become widely adopted it will be a boon for those who want to take advantage of affirmative action programs. They could do so by simply saying they are black.
Dolezal’s adopted brother, Ezra, who really is an African-American said his sister’s a white woman who puts on dark makeup and calls herself black. “It’s basically blackface.”
Tell that to Melissa, Ezra.
Fredricka Whitfield
In the worst of these examples, CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield was discussing the attack upon the Dallas Police Department that saw a man in an armoured vehicle plant open fire on police outside police headquarters and plant bombs around the station. The suspect was later shot dead by police and luckily there were no other fatalities or injuries.
Of the shooter, Whitfield said, “It was very courageous and brave, if not crazy as well, to open fire on police headquarters…”
Courageous and brave. These are the words that used to be used to describe members of the military and police. Now they are applied to criminals and terrorists. Perhaps Whitfield thinks the shooter, James Boulware, should receive a medal, posthumously of course.
Whitfield later attempted an apology by saying she misspoke. She said she did not mean the shooter was courageous and brave even though she said he was courageous and brave.
So hosts of CNN, the most trusted name in news, is in the habit of saying things they do not mean. Nice to know.
Are these situations examples of media bias or media stupidity? It is easy to claim the three alleged journalists are simply as crazy as Whitfield says Boulware was, along with being brave and courageous. But there is another explanation that tends to show these statements are more in line with media bias than media stupidity.
The statements made by Rehm, Harris-Perry and Whitfield are simply reflections of Barack Obama’s America. It is a country where Jews cannot be trusted, gender and ethnicity are determined by what a person thinks they are, and cops are the enemy and those who try and take them out are the brave and courageous heroes.
Only in a media biased in favour of progressive causes would make such idiotic statements.
