As David Harsanyi notes, there is no issue save religion that the mainstream, especially “elite”, media, do a worse job of covering than guns.
At RealClearPolitics, John Lott reports that legacy media outlets often quite literally allow anti–Second Amendment activists to write their news stories on gun policy. Politico hasn’t quite done that today, but . . . well, I’m not sure having reporters dutifully repackaging Everytown USA press releases is any better.
The whole thing is worth a read – not that it tells you anything you don’t know. Even the best better among Twin Cities newsrooms, NPR, has given anti-gun activists an unfettered, unedited and un-fact-checked voice (although as we noted at that time, the bias’s roots were more likely financial than ideological).
The media does do a terrible job. Not for lack of effort on the part of gun-rights activists…
…and not without some good results. I’ve noticed, at least at the local level, that journos can – or at least could – be taught. Over the years, there’ve been examples of reporters that actually listened, and learned to write the whole story and tell the truth on the issue…
…before moving on elsewhere and being replaced by a new wave of journos with the same set of superstitions their predecessors had slowly cut loose. The whole new generation then needs to be slowly, painstakingly taught that “gun owner <> incipient mass murdering white supremacist”.
It’s a job that, it seems, will never end.
Of course, any hint of departing from the narrative is weeded out at the local level – there is not a single national “journalist” outside overtly conservative media that can cover this issue fairly, or even accurately. And Big Left runs a constant effort to groom reports to take Big Gun Control’s “facts” as fact.
Which, as Harsanyi notes, is all too successful.
By the way – if you are among the journos who reads this space, I’d be more than happy to take you to the range one of these days. Have your people call my people.
The conspiracy theorists said there would be a culling, but I could have sworn they said it would be at the hands of Obama after he took all their guns.
As JD wrote in another thread, Which explains why their posts are cut-and-paste pieces that bear no relation to the topic under discussion, never answer questions, and routinely fail the Turing Test. Bots and slaves and telemarketers don’t think for themselves, they say what they’re told to say.
@Emery: Ever heard these statements:
“Vigilance is the price of freedom.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t really out to get you.”
Or, how about “Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun”?
Or, how about “I’ve got a pen and a phone”?
President Obama, in his statements, showed an attitude that was hostile to the Second Amendment, not to mention the constitutional process, or due process for that matter?
And the mainstream media, in its romanticized portrayal, performs a check on the abuses of power by the power-brokers. In reality, the bias of its members influences how aggressive it goes after individuals. In reality, there are a variety of subjects where the biases of the members of the media inform their reporting more than facts do. Firearms, computers, and aviation are among the big ones I routinely see the ignorance of the
reporteractivist with a byline on display for all to see.Silver lining? People may distrust their government, but they also distrust the media. Those are good things.
The conspiracy theorists said there would be a culling, but I could have sworn they said it would be at the hands of Obama after he took all their guns.
Around friendly audiences, in private, he was an unreconstructed confiscationalist. There is no rational doubt about it.
But he wasn’t stupid. He had no political capital to waste on gun control while he controlled Congress. When he lost control of Congress, talking gun control would have scuppered the Democrat party at the state level even worse than he did.
The fact that he didn’t confiscate guns doesn’t mean we were wrong about him. It DID mean we did what we had to to stymie him.
The reason conservatives are so touchy about gun rights is we are afraid. We are afraid that if ever we allow liberals to take our guns, they will never give them back.
The basis for that fear is history, which demonstrates time and again our fear is entirely justified. Liberals will act exactly as we suspect they will; they always have.
You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out. Unless you already gave up your guns. Then you’re just a slave.
You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out. Unless you already gave up your guns
Or a simultaneous confluence of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Lech Wałęsa, Helmut Kohl, and a Politburo inclined to “blink” are walking the earth in the right places at the right times.
I don’t think that’ll happen again.
The AK-toting, would-be protester guard in Austin pumped some rounds either into the air (who knows where they came down) or into car of the guy who drove into the protester/rioters. The guy in the car had his own pistol, and killed the tough-talker, thereby proving the Russian proverb:
“Wolves eat dogs.”
“We’re Americans. We don’t want socialism. Obama was a socialist. Sanders was a socialist. They believed in bailing out failed badly run businesses; in giving people handouts. But we don’t believe in that because we believe in the free market, we are not socialists.”
(insert name of any Republican over the last 20+ years for quote’s author).
At the same time no one is questioning the trillions in welfare benefits for the poverty stricken investment bankers on Wall Street by the Federal Reserve in the form of asset purchases and now 13+ years of quantitative easing that are blowing up the national debt.
^^ We’re Americans. We don’t want soci@lism. Obama was a soci@list, Sanders was a soci@list. They believed in bailing out failed badly run businesses; in giving people handouts. But we don’t believe in that because we believe in the free market, we are not soci@lists.”
(insert name of any Republican over the last 20+ years for quote’s author).
At the same time no one is questioning the trillions in welfare benefits for the poverty stricken investment bankers on Wall Street by the Federal Reserve in the form of asset purchases and now 13+ years of quantitative easing that are blowing up the national debt.
(apologies for a repeated post due to moderation)
Mitch’s post is about guns.
The bot spots one word in a relevant comment, searches its bank of pre-written chants for the matching word, posts irrelevant lies about national debt. Next time, could be, “Hey, I’m making $2,000 a week from home and you can too.” Could be something even dumber, it all depends on the trigger word.
As bad as telemarketers.
Pingback: In The Mailbox: 07.27.20 : The Other McCain
Emerry is literally quoting people who do not exist.
Emerry is literally quoting people who do not exist.
And they all think he’s really smart.