FREEDOM CONVOY LESSONS: The Media Double Standard Forces Awareness Of Optics

Second Amendment Activist Protest Activism Take Action
Second Amendment Activist Protest Activism Take Action

United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- The media coverage Freedom Convoy is providing Second Amendment supporters another reminder of the tactics of our enemies. In this case, let’s take a look at the smear Justin Trudeau leveled at the protests.

Trudeau’s smear was aided by media that views the truckers’ complaints as illegitimate, and which took a number of things way out of context to try to help Trudeau’s smear stick. They went to some great lengths to do it, too.

When I’ve counseled here that Second Amendment supporters need to be mindful of how they come across and not give in to some understandable impulses, smears like the ones aimed at the Freedom Convoy are just the latest reason why. While it might be easy to just brush off media bias as something that happens on a day ending in “Y,” it’s a mistake.

Let’s take a look at some numbers. Tucker Carlson, the top cable news host drew nearly 3.8 million viewers in late January. The night news broadcasts from ABC, NBC, and CBS came in at just under 22 million, according to a recent TVNewser.com report. In other words, the network news broadcasts get over five and a half times the viewership of perhaps the most prominent pro-Second Amendment voice on a TV news channel.

The fact of the matter is that the biases of the vast majority of national media must be taken into account by Second Amendment supporters. That’s the reality Second Amendment supporters face. Pointing that reality out is not “finger-wagging,” it is caring enough about the Second Amendment to tell Second Amendment supporters the truth about the present landscape.

It would be excellent if we had a media that could tell the truth about Second Amendment issues. A media that could call out big-city mayors for attacking our Second Amendment rights when they have made it harder for police to do their jobs would be nice to have. Reporters who would ask the Justice Department why they don’t take Project Exile nationwide, especially in big cities with sky-high violent crime rates, would be awesome to have. A news anchor who points out to someone advocating a gun rationing scheme that such conduct already violates multiple provisions of 18 USC 922 and 18 USC 924 would make for a highly informative moment.

Unfortunately, that is not the media we have in America right now and changing that is going to be a long-term effort. Until such change comes, Second Amendment supporters will have to work around these biases, starting by building relationships with local reporters, being mindful of the double standards present in today’s media climate, and knowing the right approach to use in our efforts to protect our freedoms.


About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.Harold Hutchison

15 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Paul Valone

Harold, Harold, Harold. Here we go again. “Lessons”? The logical fallacies in this piece are almost too numerous to name, but we can start with the fact that the Freedom Convoy did nothing to negatively impact its “optics.” What I saw was a bunch of people peacefully demonstrating and using words like “freedom” and “liberty” (God forbid!) which the leftist media now wants to make words of “white supremacy” or the “extreme right” or whatever the nonsensical spin of the day might be. The only way you can stop them from doing something like that is to do nothing and… Read more »

JPM

What people forget is that the media consists of privately owned or corporate BUSINESSES, whose sole purpose is to stay in business by making a profit through selling advertising. The media are not public servants and what they broadcast or print shouldn’t be considered as honest and truthful, it never has been trustworthy and is even less so today. They only broadcast and print what they believe will benefit their bottom line, regardless of facts or the truth.

Last edited 2 years ago by JPM
Tionico

you mean lie the circus barker roaming the midway and saying any nonsenseical thing to entice the fools, sooon to be parted with their money, and of who it is said there is one born every minute, to come round and lay their money down?

Most of the targets of lamestream media are found amongst those in earshot of that barker.

Tank

Maybe it’s me but, cutting people off financially to fund a peaceful protest over an experimental mRNA gene therapy injection with no avenue of compensation for those injured or killed by an experimental VaXXine coerced & forced down humanities throats using fascism & tyranny seems like a understatement & not exactly the whole truth of what transpired in order of magnitude.

“Opinion is the medium between ignorance & knowledge..”
Plato

“This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.”
Plato

Last edited 2 years ago by Tank
swmft

yea the truth is tough to swallow , and the number of people killed by this experiment is lied about I have a hard time believing some of the things I know to be true world wide governments are out of control

FL-GA

How about referring to the right of defense as a US Constitutional issue, instead of a 2nd Amendment issue? The Constitution recognizes the right to defend ourselves, the Second Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, limits the Government’s ability to ingore the Constitution. I have the Right, as recognized by the United States Constitution, to defend myself from individuals, foreign invaders, and tyranny. ANY interference with that Right can not be tolerated. There is a vehicle by which the Constitution can legally be changed, but not by a President, an Act of Congress, or by the… Read more »

Wild Bill

Yes, you do, but which Amendment to the Constitution do you think that the “Law of Self Defense” is found?

Tank

Yes indeed.

Montana454Casull

The main stream media has the credibility of a 3 stooges movie . They are a complete joke . They have traded credibility for drama . But all they are getting is laughed at now days as people are on to thier false narratives and lies . I have not tuned into thier deception filled drivel in years .

swmft

remember the Maine! yellow journalism is nothing new. and when woke people teach ” journalism” they corrupt it further

Wild Bill

Even further back than that. At the end of his second term George Washington hated being president due to all the baseless, made up, bs that news papers wrote about him.

Wild Bill

I did not know that they had laudanum in those days! Learn something every day.

Russn8r

Captain Obvious strikes again.

Henry Bowman

Yeah, the guy is a veritable brainiac!! LOL
Duuuuuuhhhhhh…

Henry Bowman

OOoooOOoooOOOhhHHH! Someone and his sockpuppets is TRIGGERED!!