Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Why are media outlets downplaying Trump's lying and demagoguery?

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/23/1453504/-Why-are-media-outlets-downplaying-Trump-s-lying-and-demagoguery
"On Saturday, a Black Lives Matter protester who interrupted a Donald Trump rally in Birmingham, Alabama, was assaulted by a group of Trump supporters and then forcefully escorted out while Trump egged the situation on. Multiple parties, including CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and attendee Cort Gatliff, released video of the assault, which shows a group of people tackling and kicking Mercutio Southall Jr., a local activist. According to Gatliff, “I saw a couple other people jump in and try to get their hit in. I was worried that since he was on the ground, he was going to get destroyed or something. Once it became clear that it was a protester and that there was some kind of brawl going on, Trump said ‘get him the hell out of here,’ or something similar and everyone started cheering for Trump. And then he started comparing how he was handling the situation versus how Bernie Sanders handled it. Trump was definitely stoking the fire, I thought.” This video and Gatliff’s recount of the story detail one thing and one thing only, a gang assault of a black protester, one which Trump not only endorsed but encouraged. So why then did several outlets such as CBS News and The Wrap refer to the event as a “clash” or “brawl,” or in Daily Mail’s case focus on the removal of the protester? These headlines and several others of the event downplay the truly disturbing nature of what actually happened at the rally and its aftermath. A candidate encouraged, and according to the Washington Post, still encourages the use of violence against peaceful protesters."