American mainstream media are corrupted by ideology
Honest journalism is on life support in the U.S.
Coverage of the Kenosha riots and the tragic shooting of three people by Kyle Rittenhouse paints a disgraceful picture of CNN, MSNBC, CBS, the New York Times and the Washington Post. None of them reported the facts. I will demonstrate the biased reporting in this article. But first, I want to comment on the political state of American law enforcement, which has developed a “woke” demeanour and an overtly “racist” bias. Compare Kyle Rittenhouse to Timothy Simkins, both of whom were responsible for the shooting deaths of others. The contrast puts a sharp focus on the disparities in treatment of those accused of violent crimes.
In Rittenhouse’s case, the 17 year old was in Kenosha at the time of the riots armed with an AR-15 rifle. I find that offensive but under Wisconsin law he was permitted to carry such a weapon in public. He was initially charged with illegal possession of a firearm but the judge dismissed that charge at trial.
CNN Anchor Don Lemon led the parade of flawed reporting, calling Rittenhouse the “ultimate case of White Wannabe Vigilantism”. Lemon went on to allege the judge hearing the case was “racist” for applying the law as written. The New Yorker magazine ran an article by Paige Williams entitled: “Kyle Rittenhouse, American Vigilante”. Neither Lemon nor Williams took the time to investigate the facts of the case.
The media’s treatment of Rittenhouse prompted famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz to say that CNN and the New Yorker were the real “vigilantes”, not Rittenhouse.
Washington Post articles politicize the Kenosha riots. MSNBC’s Joy Read blasts “male white tears” while comparing Rittenhouse to the Kavanaugh
The left wing media had a field day making up false stories. They reported Rittenhouse’s mother drove him to Kenosha; that he had no connection to Kenosha; that he was a white supremacist; that he was the only armed person in Kenosha that day; that he went there to “shoot somebody” and that his attacks were unprovoked. None of that was true, as we learned by watching the trial on television where rules of evidence prevailed. The left wing narrative persisted throughout the trial and shows no signs of abating today.
The jury is out and whether Rittenhouse was guilty of a crime or not is in the hands of the jury. But it is worthwhile to look at some of the clips of the video evidence and compare it to the media narrative.
This clip of a rioter discloses that Rittenhouse was not the only person armed during those riots.
This clip of Rittenhouse being dragged on the ground with an armed rioter a few feet away is similarly telling.
This clip of Rittenhouse being struck by a rioter with a skateboard shows the violence Rittenhouse encountered.
This clip of Rittenhouse being kicked while down shows another person attacking him.
The bottom line is that Rittenhouse, whether guilty of a crime or not guilty, defended himself from attacks on his person by others. But we live in a world today where the mainstream American media prefer to create a narrative that supports their ideology than report the facts. The days when Ted Turner’s CNN was “the most trusted name in news” are long gone.
I have cut my subscription to CNN and it seems I am not alone. That network’s viewship is tanking badly and deservedly. I am hopeful that the American public will vote with their feet and their pocketbooks and deprive media companies of a platform if they cannot report truthfully and accurately.