The moment Donald Trump was confirmed the winner of the 2016 election the hounding of him by the predominantly left-wing media commenced. For four years facts haven’t mattered to these outfits that choose to take a political stance and run with it. They’re not interested in printing or broadcasting facts. They’re only interested in constructing a narrative that suits the position they’ve chosen to take. Fact or fiction is no concern of theirs. I include New Zealand newspapers and television news in this travesty of reporting.
The most recent examples occurred just last week with the reporting of the invasion of the Capitol building. A quick look at a video clip will tell you most of the invaders were either idiots in fancy dress or young people who turned up on the day looking for just this sort of happening. In other words, some excitement. They were too young to be the slightest bit interested in Trump, Biden or politics in general. Did the leftist media see it this way? Of course not. These people, according to them, were all die-hard Trump supporters who were intent on committing insurrection and goodness knows what else.
I happened to watch Newsmax TV, which for objective reporting has now taken over from Fox News as the best watch. They weigh up the facts better than anyone else and are usually the last to give a considered opinion on political matters. Newsmax showed a woman who attended the Trump rally. She said she, like most of the large crowd, walked peacefully from the rally to Capitol Hill. Her overall impression was of a peaceful day with grandmothers and people pushing babies in prams to families all talking amongst themselves.
Did we get this impression from reading our newspapers or watching the hour-long 6pm spiel they give you on television where items between the adverts are dressed up as news? Hell no. That’s not their narrative. I saw a newsreader talking to their correspondent in America actually laughing mid-item. How very unprofessional. As an ex media person myself I wouldn’t let these people loose on presenting the Women’s Weekly edition of Over the Teacups. We were given the impression that those who caused the mayhem were acting on the orders of President Trump. As he himself would say “FAKE NEWS!!” We’ve had four years of it.
What is more disappointing is that our MSM appear to favour this approach. Their attitude seems to be: we will only give you the side of a story that suits our narrative whether it be factual or not. My first experience of this was in 1981 during the Springbok rugby tour. Reporters were told if a cop got injured not to worry but if a protestor was injured by a policeman immediately find out which hospital he was being taken to and go there to get a story.
Journalism has been going down that slippery slope at an ever-increasing speed since then. If the news media want to present their narrative they should at least give the other side of the story too. That is called balanced reporting, something that it seems is not taught at journalism school these days. We, the public, are suffering as a result. Not entirely though, because independent video channels and the likes of The BFD are starting to flourish and attract more people who are disenchanted and fed up with the bias swamping what we used to be able to call a believable press. Not anymore.
Now the likes of Twitter and Facebook are taking it upon themselves to only allow on their platform those who go along with their narrative. Who the hell are they to assume that responsibility? It is pleasing to see our Privacy Commissioner commenting that social media bans on Trump are “arbitrary and cynical”. How right he is. John Edwards described the social media platforms as “conflicted”. Compared to words I would have used, that is high praise.
The media need to realise their narrative is not shared by all. It might be a surprise to them, including the NZ Herald and TV1, that we are not all woke Wombles wandering around looking for a shoulder to cry on. We are the types who, when it comes to news, just want the honest facts, not a diatribe of leftist fake news drivel.
How many of you are aware of this piece of recent news? Before Christmas Trump’s approval rating was at 45 per cent. Today it is at 53 per cent according to the latest Rasmussen poll.
This is the polling company that gave the most accurate prediction of the election outcome. I have searched in vain for this information in our media. Are we surprised? Certainly not.
It doesn’t fit the narrative!
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