"When entire sectors of an economy depend on illegal labor, federally prohibited drugs, and resistance to immigration enforcement, the problem isn’t federal enforcement."
“ 'Advocates say.” Two words that signal attribution—but have become a shield, a cudgel, and a journalistic sleight of hand. This phrase, and others like it, are increasingly used in what is presented as mainstream reporting but is actually laced with opinion.
"But “advocates say” is not journalism—it’s an ideological hustle that holds the truth hostage. It is, well, advocacy.
"Consider this lede from the Los Angeles Times:
A federal judge … temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests that advocates say have terrorized Angelenos, forced people into hiding and damaged the local economy.
"A lot is going on in that snippet from the Times, but it is illustrative of what we are seeing more and more in mainstream media reporting on the Trump administration—particularly in the context of immigration enforcement.
"So, let’s take it apart:
- “Indiscriminate” and “racial profiling” are a legal oxymoron. If the government is targeting by race, it’s not indiscriminate. If it’s indiscriminate, it’s not targeted. You can’t have both—unless you’ve abandoned logic, emotional restraint, and the premise that words have meaning. But that contradiction doesn’t matter when emotional impact is the goal—and critical thinking has been replaced with narrative scripting. This isn’t journalism. It’s ideological storytelling, spoon-fed for mass consumption.
- “Terrorized Angelenos”? No evidence. No sourcing. Just a free-floating assertion from unnamed “advocates”—repeated uncritically as if it were fact.
"Terrorized? No. Hamas terrorizes. Hezbollah terrorizes. Al-Qaeda terrorizes. ICE enforces federal immigration law. They do not terrorize anyone by executing their duties within the bounds of the law." . . .
Charlton Allen is an attorney and former chief executive officer and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and host of the Modern Federalist podcast.
No comments:
Post a Comment