The Left’s weaponization of journalism

The media’s coverage of the Tacoma ICE facility shooting demonstrates why they deserve the “fake news” moniker.

(Article by Natalie Winters republished from HumanEvents.com)

“I regret that I will miss the rest of the revolution. Doing what I can to help defend my precious and wondrous people is an experience too rich to describe. I am Antifa,” wrote Willem Van Spronsen.

Given Van Spronsen’s unambiguous, self-proclaimed association with Antifa and his history of activism on behalf of the group, his motivation for attempting to carry out a violent, presumably murderous act against the staff at an immigrant detention facility in Tacoma, Washington was clear.

“I am Antifa” leaves little room for debate.

CNN, however, interprets these three incriminating words differently:

“The motive behind the armed man’s pre-dawn attack is unclear.”

Other establishment media outlets kept their coverage vague, omitting Van Spronsen’s well-documented connections to Antifa: The Washington Post entitled their report, “Armed man killed during attack on ICE detention center, police say”.

The New York Times wrote, “Man Attacking ICE Detention Center Is Fatally Shot by the Police”.

Angling Van Spronsen’s attack against an “ICE detention Center” is as misleading as omitting his affiliations or motives.

It is just as likely his anger was directed at the ICE agents inside, given he was arrestedin 2018 for obstructing an officer at a protest against the conditions at the same detention center.

Of all the outlets, CNN should have known this. His group, the Puget Sound chapter of the John Brown Gun Club, appeared on a recent episode of “United Shades of America” with W. Kamau Bell.

Bell gave Van Spronsen’s group a glowing review and referred to the parent organization, Redneck Revolt, as “good guys”.

The amount of coverage this attack received pales in comparison to those given to ostensible “right-wing” instigators of violence.

One could have missed this story if they lived exclusively inside the left-wing media bubble. And many do.

It may or may not be intentional, but the benefit of the doubt is selectively applied: it’s only present when the act in question is a result of left-wing violence. And the issue isn’t whether or not activist groups should be held accountable for rogue actors, it’s that the media’s standards for association differ profoundly based on political affiliation. They willfully ignore credible leads inconsistent with their narrative.

The recent hate crime hoax involving Jussie Smollett demonstrates this disparity. Vanity Fair was bold: “Empire’s Jussie Smollett Hospitalized After Racist, Homophobic Attack” as was CNN: “Empire” actor victim of racist and homophobic assault”.

Following this, the Tacoma attack headlines might have read “ICE agents victim of failed Antifa attack”. That’s an entirely different tone.

Read more at: HumanEvents.com and Faked.news.