Yes, Steyn understands the power of the media to brand someone in order to keep their message from getting out, as well as to provide the excuse (in the public psyche) to justify killing them, in extremis. "Demonization" was done to the Weavers with incendiary language, each sylable setting the meme. Words like "compound", "assault weapon", "ambush", any of a number of groups who are supposed to be decried because of their beliefs (and therefore are to be considered "evil"), "Big" (as if that in itself made someone/thing evil), "racist", _____-ophobe (fill in the blank), etc., are slapped together for maximum effect, making their focus somehow subhuman and not worthy of Rights like the wonderful folk who seek to rob, destroy, or kill them (for the good of the collective).
Steyn has been the target of such rhetoric, so he gets it, but so many who should have been stalwart in the breach cut and ran instead.
Sometimes folks do it to themselves. Singleness of purpose keeps everyone focussed on the issue. Deviation from that allows others to minimize you. It is exactly why Mr. Bundy should not have held talking session of any kind.....except to talk about the armed BLM folks destroying his cattle. Other than that he should have always said no this is what we are going to talk about.
There is a reason the left is able to paint with a broad brush full of lies.....we open the door every time