Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Does the Media Deserve to Be Respected and Believed?
Townhall.com ^ | January 25, 2019 | Michael Barone

Posted on 01/25/2019 6:32:43 AM PST by Kaslin

Is it true that Donald Trump's bad habits are contagious? Is it true that his Democratic opponents and, even more, his critics in the press are increasingly given to terminological inexactitudes, if not downright lies?

Sure looks like it. Last week, large parts of the press -- we're looking at you, CNN and MSNBC -- were gleefully reporting and commenting on the BuzzFeed story about President Trump having allegedly ordered his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to members of special prosecutor Robert Mueller's staff.

There were lots of smiles and (if we can use the word to describe liberals) smirks on their faces as they contemplated the ramifications. Some did note perfunctorily that the story was only noteworthy "if true." Others pointed out, accurately, that several conservative commentators opined that the charge would justify Trump's impeachment and removal from office.

The fun stopped suddenly last Friday night when a spokesman for Mueller's office said in a statement, "BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the Special Counsel's Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate."

Time to reprise all those 40-year-old Emily Litella riffs from "Saturday Night Live." In this case, the "never mind" moment came from CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. "The larger message that a lot of people are going to take from this story," he said to four glum panel members, "is that the news media are a bunch of leftist liars who are dying to get the president, and they're willing to lie to do it."

"I don't think that's true," he added, "but ... I just think this is a bad day for us. ... It reinforces every bad stereotype about the news media." Yup.

So does the media reaction the next day to a snippet of video, taken near the Lincoln Memorial after the March for Life, that shows Kentucky school students from Covington Catholic High School wearing red MAGA (Make America Great Again) hats and facing Omaha Indian elder Nathan Phillips. Multiple members of the media, including some notable conservatives, accused the students of behaving in a bigoted, disrespectful and threatening manner. There were calls for them to be expelled from school and doxxing attacks launched against their families. Student Nick Sandmann was mocked for the nervous smile ("smirk") he gave as Phillips banged his drum just short of his face.

More extensive video footage, covering nearly two hours at the memorial, told a different and opposite story. (The best accounts to date are two articles by Robby Soave in Reason magazine.) They made it clear that the Covington Catholic students were pummeled for an hour by vicious and racist comments ("crackers," "faggots," "pedophiles") from four or five black men calling themselves the Black Hebrew Israelites.

And they made it clear that amid the hubbub of the students singing school chants, it was Phillips who, rather than being surrounded by the students, approached them, banging loudly on a drum while making chants of his own. No one listening to the tape has publicly supported Phillips' claim that the students chanted, "Build the wall!"

Apologies came in from many, including conservatives but also some liberals who had contributed to the tweetstorm castigating the students. Many deleted their negative tweets. Others continued to insist that the students are bigoted oppressors.

The media responded, too, whether out of a desire to report accurately or to avoid a libel action. "Fuller Picture Emerges of Viral Video of Native American Man and Catholic Students," read the headline on a Sunday New York Times story.

American libel law requires actual malice, or reckless disregard of facts, by the media before a public figure can collect. But the students were not public figures as they gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to meet their bus, and the ready availability of exonerating videotape suggests that the first accusatory stories were rushed into print with reckless disregard of available facts. I sure wouldn't want to defend them before a Kentucky jury.

Anyone reading through the tweetstorms, especially of those who continue to vilify the Covington Catholic students, cannot help but be struck by the visceral and seething hatred of so many in the press for adolescents whose behavior was, at worst, a bit discourteous, but who are guilty of the offenses of being white, male, Catholic, pro-life and supportive of the current president.

Is this the behavior of a press that deserves to be respected and believed?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: barone; buzzfeed; cnn; covingtoncatholic; deceit; fakenews; liberalfascism; michaelcohen; pmsnbc; presidenttrump; propaganda
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last
To: Kaslin

No and No!


21 posted on 01/25/2019 7:06:34 AM PST by AFreeBird
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Navy Patriot
Respect and Credibility must both be EARNED. The media earned exactly the opposite.

They have a long and sorry history of earning exactly the opposite too.

22 posted on 01/25/2019 7:06:35 AM PST by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys all aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

“the news media are a bunch of leftist liars who are dying to get the president, and they’re willing to lie to do it.” ~Toobin


23 posted on 01/25/2019 7:16:17 AM PST by rawcatslyentist ("All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vigilanteman
Respect and Credibility must both be EARNED.

Exactly, there is no other way.

24 posted on 01/25/2019 7:22:16 AM PST by Navy Patriot (America NEEDS Mob Rule, another European and Mid East World War and a universal Draft)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

Sure, like Christine Blasey Ford “deserves to be believed”.


25 posted on 01/25/2019 7:24:36 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The Ministry of Propaganda has been lying to us for years.


26 posted on 01/25/2019 7:25:06 AM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Nope.


27 posted on 01/25/2019 7:25:36 AM PST by Howie66 ("...Against All Enemies, Foreign and Democrat.....")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

When their sole mission in life is not to truthfully report the news, but to lie nonstop and instill hatred in the electorate for Republicans so that they can destroy freedom itself and the nation they despise? C’mon, is that a serious question?


28 posted on 01/25/2019 7:28:38 AM PST by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reed13k

Yes, you are right. The behavior that I find so repulsive is their collective inability to conduct any introspection and inability to admit that biases may in any way affect their reporting.


29 posted on 01/25/2019 7:40:59 AM PST by bagman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

“American libel law requires actual malice, or reckless disregard of facts, by the media before a public figure can collect. But the students were not public figures as they gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to meet their bus, and the ready availability of exonerating videotape suggests that the first accusatory stories were rushed into print with reckless disregard of available facts. I sure wouldn’t want to defend them before a Kentucky jury.”

Could this be the source of all the journalist layoffs this week? Maybe so.


30 posted on 01/25/2019 7:47:39 AM PST by Justa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sit-rep

Right

To overlook their crimes and go on like nothing happened? NOT

Unless you don’t mind the MSM covering itself with s*&t-then expecting your esteem


31 posted on 01/25/2019 8:07:45 AM PST by SMARTY (Hatred is a feeling which leads to the extinction of values. Ortega y Gasset)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: tomkat

That’s racist, whatever it represents.


32 posted on 01/25/2019 8:10:33 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Fox News: "We distort, you deride")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Justa
Could this be the source of all the journalist layoffs this week? Maybe so.

It could be the reason, but the price paid by the boys was very high.

33 posted on 01/25/2019 8:11:07 AM PST by Bitman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

Is this the behavior of a press that deserves to be respected and believed?

Only someone from Townhall.com would pose such an idiotic question.

34 posted on 01/25/2019 8:20:19 AM PST by bkopto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Is this the behavior of a press that deserves to be respected and believed?

We're well past respecting the corrupt media, now they need to be prosecuted for libel.

35 posted on 01/25/2019 8:23:22 AM PST by 1Old Pro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY

If I’m lucky enough to be in the War Room when the balloon goes up I would order several targets in every media outlet across the land. They have been and remain the biggest threat to our country. I solely blame the media for 95% of our problems in the country/world.


36 posted on 01/25/2019 8:32:00 AM PST by sit-rep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind

LOL :-))


37 posted on 01/25/2019 8:33:29 AM PST by tomkat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Heck you can’t even believe their weather forecasts! They just say stuff to drum up ratings.


38 posted on 01/25/2019 8:37:08 AM PST by gcparent (Justice Brett Kavanaugh)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gcparent

Exactly


39 posted on 01/25/2019 8:43:18 AM PST by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: sit-rep

If I was as wrong ... as often as the MSM jerks-I would not have a job


40 posted on 01/25/2019 8:44:47 AM PST by SMARTY (Hatred is a feeling which leads to the extinction of values. Ortega y Gasset)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson