Al D’Angelo
Growing up we were taught the difference between right and wrong first from our parents, then from our teachers and these values were the building blocks of our character. It didn’t matter what political party you belonged to right was right and wrong was wrong. All that has changed. The Media has become so polarized that truth is what they say it is. They can make you a hero of a villain depending on how they spin their stories. It became evident during the Trump administration. He received three times more negative stories in his first 60 days than any other President. Only five percent were positive. The media set the stage for his destruction. Before he ran for President, he was lauded by politicians who wanted his donations, talk show hosts who wanted him on their shows and praised for being a shrewd businessman. All this changed when this brash outsider decided to join the “good ole boys club.” This outspoken critic of the system became a target of both Republicans and Democrats, who wanted business as usual. They attacked his family life, his relationships, his children, his business ventures etc. The media was in a feeding frenzy over the Russia collusion stories. Months of headlines and lead media stories were dedicated to this story and the Democrats smelled blood in the water and brought up articles of impeachment. When it was proven that the collusion story was started by the Clinton campaign the story died immediately. Why didn’t the press go after Hillary? The media was not done yet. Trump made a call to the Ukraine and they claimed he pressured Zelensky to investigate dealings of Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump made the call public but that didn’t stop the democrats and the media to bring it up during articles of impeachment. Why didn’t the media look into the Bidens dealings with the Ukraine? Doesn’t the fact that Joe Biden received $900,000 in lobbing fees and his son Hunter was paid a million dollars a year for sitting on the board of Burisma sound like a story? Why didn’t they follow up on the call Joe Biden made with the Ukraine threatening to withhold aid if a certain prosecutor wasn’t fired and he bragged about it? How come no impeachment? Why didn’t it become a major news story? Presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama are all quoted saying illegal immigration must be stopped. When Trump attempted to do something about it, he became a racist. Why didn’t the media label Joe Biden a racist? Biden voted against busing and integration and said he didn’t want his children in a jungle. I use these examples because they are so clearly bias. It doesn’t matter what political party you belong to, selective journalism is a detriment to this country. It is wrong to magnify one person’s flaws and minimize another’s. It should be worrisome to every American that the media can manipulate us to believe what they want. Take a minute and think about how you form an opinion. Is it what you read, what you saw, what you were told, what you learned in school or a combination of these? Now suppose you were being fed what they wanted you to think. An independent free press is a countries greatest asset. It gives information without prejudice. The adage holds true “believe half of what you see and none of what you hear”.
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