By Mecca Fowler
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors. View more opinion on ScoonTV.
Many of the news stories we see are highly manipulated and given to us within certain narratives. In a vicious spiral of mutual manipulation, the media and the government interweave to create stories that thrive on division.
Long gone are the days of straight reporting. No longer should an audience draw conclusions based on what they see. Instead, the news skews the context of news stories to create panic and fear. This is because crises are necessary for journalists to dramatize news.
In lockstep, government leaders pretend to react to crises. But too often, crises are cooperative fabrications rather than genuine incidents. The news media and the government have become so entangled in an interdependent web of lies that neither can tell the people what is true, and neither can govern efficiently.
Our view of the world inherently revolves around the news, so the media’s habit of selective coverage has caused serious harm. The politicized news coverage amplifies some stories and not others, thus creating a skewed perception in the mind of viewers. It has widened racial and political differences and instilled distrust in the institutions that most need them.
Similar tragedies happen all the time, but the media’s coverage skews depending on the identities of the perpetrators or victims. Take for example how the mainstream media dealt with the Waukesha Christmas parade attack. On November 21, 2021, Darrell Brooks Jr. allegedly drove his car into a parade, killing six people and injuring approximately 60 people.
Brooks’ Facebook profile, which he used under the rap name MathBoi Fly, was suddenly deleted shortly after the attack. Before it was deleted though, the profile revealed that Brooks idolized Hitler, endorsed Black Lives Matter, and urged violence against white people, according to the New York Post. One of his social media posts even incited his followers to knock white people out.
Not many mainstream media outlets reported on these findings when they initially talked about his background. This of course angered some conservatives. They alleged the liberal media conveniently left out an analysis of his background.
CNN was also torn apart by critics for exhibiting bias in its reporting. The outlet published a tweet stating that the “car drove through a city Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring scores of others,” implying that there was a faceless driver. It sounded as if the car autonomously drove itself into the parade. Additionally, because of the nature of the attack and because it wouldn’t benefit CNN’s agenda, CNN did not publish the attacker’s name.
State Rep. Cindi Duchow, A white Republican resident of Waukesha, told the New York Post, “Because this was a black guy who did it, the media doesn’t want to cover it. They were all over the Rittenhouse case because that kid was white. Race doesn’t matter to us here, but the media makes everything about race.”
On the contrary, when alleged mass shooter Payton Gendron went on a rampage in Buffalo, New York a few weeks ago, his activity on social media was highly publicized. Gendron opened fire in a grocery store in a predominantly black neighborhood, killing 10 black people in the rampage.
As expected, many on the left linked Gendron to Tucker Carlson and other prominent right-wing media figures because of a manifesto he left behind sharing Carlson’s views on the “Great Replacement Theory.” The media also dug up his Discord and Twitch channel which was said to have documented some of the killings live.
If both of these incidents were seen unfiltered and in their proper context, more people would see that we have a rotten media poisoning the nation with no intention of stopping. It’s a system that feeds on Americans hating each other. Thus, it creates more division and hate after racially motivated attacks happen. It is never-ending on purpose.
The government and the media are shaping our worldviews and opinions subconsciously. They have concocted a farce that suits their respective goals while deceiving the public. Unfortunately, many in the public are not even aware of how deep the psychological manipulation is. They do not know that they are being pitted against their fellow Americans on purpose.
It’s a two-headed snake. Politicians feed the media’s desire for drama by inventing crises and staging their answers, to strengthen their own prestige and influence. The media is then obligated to report on these lies. Most news stories aim to elicit emotional responses from consumers rather than provide accurate information.
Both parties are aware that the stories are self-serving ruses that fail to inform consumers about the more complicated but dull topics of government action.
Subscribe to get early access to podcasts, events, and more!
