The Federalist
When you encounter an entity that repeatedly lies to you, slanders you, mocks you, and hides things from you, should you conclude it is anything but your enemy?
Firework smoke still lingered in the sky over Mount Rushmore as journalists began their daily routine of story-spinning, as if their very lives depended on headlines reflecting the exact opposite of true events. President Donald Trump’s pro-America speech, dripping with unity and patriotism, was decried in legacy media as diabolical.
When you encounter an entity that repeatedly lies to you, slanders you, mocks you, and hides things from you, should you conclude it is anything but your enemy?
Firework smoke still lingered in the sky over Mount Rushmore as journalists began their daily routine of story-spinning, as if their very lives depended on headlines reflecting the exact opposite of true events. President Donald Trump’s pro-America speech, dripping with unity and patriotism, was decried in legacy media as diabolical.
. . . "CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who frequently spars with the president while grandstanding in the press briefing room, capitalized on the phrase while playing the martyr, publishing a book called “The Enemy of the People” last year. Ironically, Acosta used the same words to characterize Trump’s rhetoric about the press as the press used to slander Trump: dark and dangerous.
“ 'What may have begun as something of a reality TV-style parlor trick has mutated into a full-blown assault on the American free press,” Acosta argued, saying of the president’s “enemy of the people” remark, “It was a dark and dangerous tweet that may well define much of his presidency.” Plenty of others have echoed Acosta’s sentiment.
"In short, Trump delivers a unifying speech, and the media lies, calling it dark and divisive. Trump exposes the media for its lies, and the press calls his rhetoric dark and divisive. The cycle has repeated itself over and over again.
"While the press’s most recent Fourth of July smear was blatantly partisan and anti-American, it’s worth noting that this wasn’t an isolated instance of media misspeak. Bad-faith actors in the press have proved time and again that they are indeed the enemy of the people." . . .
This is the same media that has spent the last six weeks stirring up strife over the death of George Floyd and lying about the resulting chaos. While rioters and looters desecrated major cities across the United States, many journalists downplayed the violence and tried to convince Americans most of the actors were simply peaceful protesters.
“I want to be clear in how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not, generally speaking, unruly,” said one MSNBC reporter as buildings burned down behind him.