Television networks like ABC, NBC & CNN refused to air President Donald Trump’s prime-time address on election integrity claiming his statements “could not be trusted.” CNN has spent years branding itself as “The Most Trusted Name in News.” Apparently, the network now believes that trust runs so deep that viewers no longer need to hear what the president actually says. CNN will listen for them, decide what matters, and provide an approved summary afterward. This is what happens in Canada. Only there the government decides what the public is allowed to hear.
CNN’s John King explained that the network was “not going to take it live” because Trump “has a history of misleading.” Instead, CNN would monitor the speech and reduce it to a collection of bullet points for its audience.
In most other situations, this would be called editorial censorship. When the president delivers a nationally televised address on a major political issue, the normal role of a news network is to broadcast it, provide context, and then analyze or challenge any disputed claims. CNN skipped the first part entirely. It decided viewers should receive the network’s interpretation without being given a chance to hear the source material for themselves.
So, these networks kept the information from the public about vulnerabilities in our electoral process. Why?
How often have these networks refused to air speeches from previous Presidents? Hmmm. This may be unprecedented. Perhaps previous Presidents always told the truth when they spoke to the American people. Let’s look at the record.
As it turns out, the networks have a history of airing reports that have been proven false. They also have a history of misrepresenting events they cover.
Let’s look at some examples.
Joe Biden claimed the border crisis could not be fixed without congressional action. President Trump reduced the illegal entries to zero without congressional action
Barack Obama had a “red line” with Syria. Obama said the use of chemical weapons was a “red line” that would affect his decision on U.S. intervention there. How did that work out?
When sarin attacks near Damascus in 2013 killed civilians and crossed the “red line”, he said it was the world’s or Congress’s line, not his. Where were the news bobbleheads on this?
Joe Biden and his administration officials said inflation was temporary due to pandemic factors while COVID was raging. But the pandemic ended and inflation got worse. It ended up resulting in 20% cumulative inflation during his time in office.
Biden had to sell off the strategic oil reserve to keep the inflation from being worse. This was the highest four-year inflation since the Jimmy Carter administration. What network held Biden’s feet to the fire?
Barack Obama promised “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it” under the Affordable Care Act. Millions of people lost their plans and couldn’t keep their doctors. PolitiFact later called it the Lie of the Year. Obama repeated this lie over two dozen times.
How did the networks react? The major networks downplayed this and kept airing all his speeches.
January 6, 2021: Democrats and media called it an “armed insurrection” or “attempted coup” with Trump directing violence. The facts were that no Trump supporter was armed. Although it was claimed that four Capitol police officers were killed, in fact none were. The only people who were killed were Trump supporters, three of whom died as a direct result of police actions. One was shot and another was beaten to death. The third had a heart attack after a flash bang went off in his face.
No evidence showed Trump ordered an armed attack, in fact, Trump told supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” protest. Did the networks air that? Of course not.
Video showed protesters entering through open doors or invited in by DC police.
Nancy Pelosi controlled Capitol Police funding and planning.
Pelosi rejected additional National Guard offers beforehand
Post-event, she and Democrats blamed Trump exclusively.
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, democrat Reps, Senators, mayors, etc. call Trump a fascist, compare him to Hitler/Mussolini, and claim he threatens democracy.
After his first term, Trump left office peacefully, won elections fairly, and his policies emphasized borders, economy, and America First. These are not fascist dictatorship traits like one-party control or suppression of speech. (Like the Biden administration). At one point during his administration, Joe Biden called half of America domestic terrorists because they supported America First. Where was the pushback from the networks on that. Was Biden banned from making speeches on TV?
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams repeatedly claimed he was aboard a helicopter forced down by enemy RPG fire during the 2003 Iraq invasion. He lied.
The media described the deadly 2020 BLM riots as “mostly peaceful.” This was done with buildings in the background being burned to the ground. The riots caused billions in damage and resulted in the killing of at least a dozen people.
Where was the fair and even-handed reporting of this?
Major outlets and Anthony Fauci claimed the lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology was a conspiracy theory. Evidence continues to pile up showing it was leaked from the lab and Fauci along with officials and media covered it up. In fact, some members of the NIH have been charged with crimes over this. What networks have issued a mea culpa over this?
I could go on and on. The Russia collusion story. The Jussie Smollett Hoax. The various and sundry Antifa stories.
Big Media outlets continue to air interviews, appearances and statements from proven liars, and continue to allow their lying staff members broadcast live. These are out and out falsehoods not some exaggeration of a crowd count.
Is it time for the FCC to carefully review the licenses of these networks to see if they operate for the public good?