“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
-Malcolm X
#freespeechmatters 27.11.2021
CNN finally cleared the air surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, but it appears to be too little too late. In an article written Ray Sanchez, Eric Leveson, and Omar Jimenez, the media outlet rehashes old questions presented prior to Rittenhouse ever standing trial: Did he bring a dangerous weapon across state lines? Were Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gaige Grosskreutz rioters? and Was Rittenhouse part of a white supremacist organization at the time of the riots?
In detail, the authors provide facts surrounding the case, though they still continue to weigh rather heavily on the prosecution’s testimony. Rittenhouse did not cross state lines with a dangerous weapon, he was staying in Kenosha where his father lives. The aforementioned rioters were rioting. Rosenbaum alone set a dumpster and a wooden trailer on fire. He threatened Rittenhouse earlier in the night, chasing him, lunging for his gun, and throwing an object at him. Lastly, there is no evidence that Rittenhouse is part of any white supremacist group or that he is “deeply” racist.
CNN’s authors attempted to clear up misinformation they spread before and during the trial, but did not admit that Rittenhouse was not part of a white supremacist organization. They do state, however, that, “there was no evidence presented at the trial about this.” They also reiterated expert testimony that Rosenbaum was not perceived as a serious threat.
Whether or not CNN’s attempt at clarity will prevent them from future defamation and libel lawsuits will be left for Rittenhouse and his attorney to decide.
People perceive CNN to be an honest, factual display of current events. They trust the media outlet without question; they don’t research further because, in their eyes, Anderson Cooper is credible. CNN, in return, has the ability to shape and control narratives surrounding anything from climate change to a homicide trial of an 18-year-old man. A lot of people, including the Vice President of the United States, didn’t get the outcome they anticipated. Anyone who watched the videos, without outside commentary, knows that Rittenhouse was in a “kill or be killed” situation. At no point did CNN cover Rittenhouse’s claim to self defense. They merely mentioned it as they continued to further our national divide.
Anyone who blindly trusts the media, whether it be CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, or any other media outlet, is susceptible to being misled and lied to. Generating profit is a top priority for anybody operating a business. These platforms are nothing more than businesses. These people aren’t doing what they’re doing out of the goodness of their hearts; they are being paid seriously well to lie to you day after day, night after night.
In the age of the internet, we have the ability to see with out own eyes. Of course we must understand that any content posted online can be misleading or taken out of context, but Rittenhouse’s uncut situation was available for the world to see. Instead, we used this horrific incident as an opportunity to punch down on white Americans. The same media that demonized black Americans in the past is in the process of doing the same to white people. They don’t care how we’re divided, as long as we’re divided. We’re easier to control if we’re not united.
The government is not the solution to combat media misinformation. This is not a call to arms for government involvement. We the people need to learn to start thinking for ourselves. Trusting our understandings over the perceptions of people we’re told to trust. Everyone is subject to human error, but these media platforms are being intentionally misleading. They’re capable of creating epidemics out of isolated incidents, and we must strip them of this power.
The media does not have our best interests in mind. They are routinely running operations to further divide an already divided country. They act as militant servants to governments and elites instead of doing their jobs as journalists. They endorse the national narrative strictly for profit. Our best interests aren't how well they are getting paid.
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