Rioters throw tear gas back at law enforcement on August 24. Hours into the curfew, the mostly peaceful demonstration turned violent. Commercial and government buildings were set ablaze, along with vehicles in car dealership lots, city garbage trucks and others.
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Example of Media Bias:
On August 24, CNN deleted the word “violent” from its reporting of the Kenosha, Wisc., protests, pulling down an on-screen display with that description after several seconds and then reposting it with the word deleted.
Network anchor Wolf Blitzer was covering the situation with national correspondent Omar Jimenez, who was in Kenosha where the police shooting the day before of black resident Jacob Blake set off protests that led to massive destruction of property.
During the broadcast, the network displayed a caption on the bottom of the screen reading:
“8PM curfew ordered after violent protests over police shooting of unarmed black man in Wisconsin.”
After about 15 seconds, the caption disappeared before being reposted about seven seconds later with the word “violent” deleted.
On August 27, as CNN’s national correspondent Omar Jimenez stood in front of one of many fires set by protesters that destroyed businesses – a family owned used car dealership and a family owned furniture store among others were destroyed – CNN described the widespread destruction in Kenosha as:
“Fiery But Mostly Peaceful Protests After Police Shooting”
**The Kenosha News reported last week that City Supervisor Terry Rose cited an estimate from the Kenosha Area Business Alliance that the damage to buildings and businesses is an estimated $50 million – that protesters caused damage to 100 businesses and as many as 40 are “out of business for good.”
On August 10, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr was interviewed by Fox News’ Mark Levin about how the media is portraying the protests in Portland, Oregon:
On Sept. 11, as he ended a three-day tour of Chicago, Phoenix and Cleveland, AG Barr told Townhall:
“The press has dropped, in my view – and I’m talking about the national mainstream media – has dropped any pretense of professional objectivity and are political actors, highly partisan who try to shape what they’re reporting to achieve a political purpose and support a political narrative that has nothing to do with the truth. They’re very mendacious about it,” he continued. “It’s very destructive to our Republic; it’s very destructive to the Democratic system to have that, especially being so monolithic. It’s contributing to a lot of the intensity and partisanship.”
Scenes from Kenosha:
Kenosha, WI: The apartment above the Music Outlet is where Jackie Lopez and her 7-year-old daughter, Leilani Greene, moved into last month, but after Wednesday’s fire in Uptown Kenosha, the two are now without a home.
Kenosha News Photo by Dan Truttschel.
Flames roar from a row of cars torched by protesters a few blocks from the county courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 24. Rioters destroyed the family-owned auto dealership, burning at least 50 cars in the lot.
To accurately identify different types of bias, you should be aware of the issues of the day, and the liberal and conservative perspectives on each issue.
Types of Media Bias:Questions
1. What type of bias does this post illustrate?
2. Arson and property destruction are acts of violence. Why do you think the national media has continued to describe ongoing property destruction during protests in Rochester, Washington, D.C., NY, Los Angeles, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Portland, Chicago, etc. as “mostly peaceful protests?”
3. If the national media really believes that the overall ongoing protests that have resulted in injuries to hundreds of police officers, several deaths and more than a billion dollars in damage are peaceful, the questions then should be:
- Why isn’t the media investigating where the non-peaceful protesters are coming from? Are they outside agitators? Do citizens have the right to be protected from outside agitators? Who are the protesters destroying businesses and private property? What gives them the right to do so? (Arrest records show many of those arrested in various cities for crimes during protests are from out of state.)
- What responsibility does the media have to report on the real peacful protesters’ reactions to having their legitimate concerns co-opted by violent mobs?
- Local officials in many of these cities cannot or will not stop the violence and destruction. Why not?
- Why is the national media not investigating Antifa, or reporting on it as a legitimate group?
- What is the purpose of the media?
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.
Answers
1. This post illustrates bias by spin — CNN’s description of protesters as mostly peaceful, rather than violent.
2. and 3. are opinion questions. Answers vary. Discuss your answers with a parent.
