The mainstream media had an epic weekend underscoring why they are “fake news.” Just days after BuzzFeed published another sham anti-Trump story, the media was forced to walk back defamatory claims that a MAGA hat-wearing teen had harassed a Native American during a pro-life march in Washington.
As BizPac Review reported, the media immediately ran with the false narrative that Nick Sandmann ― a junior at Covington Catholic High School ―had harassed and made racist slurs at left-wing activist Nathan Phillips. The narrative was promoted using doctored, edited video tape with the audio silenced.
Unedited, Full Video Exonerates MAGA-Hat Teen
When the full video surfaced, the truth emerged: The Native American activist had approached Nick Sandmann and his school mates ― not the other way around.
And Sandmann never said anything racist; in fact, he said nothing at all while Nathan Phillips loudly banged his drums inches from Nick’s face.
This unedited video (with the original sound) is indisputable proof that the Native American man approached the Catholic school kids pic.twitter.com/cFi0qRYDg2
— Woj Pawelczyk (@Woj_Pawelczyk) January 20, 2019
Once the truth emerged, some in the mainstream press walked back their original, damning report. Naturally, no media apologized for promoting their fake news.
MSNBC host Peter Alexander said: “Reminder to all of us we got to wait for answers before we come to final conclusions on these type of topics.”
‘Journalists Got This Completely Wrong’
The truth started to emerge when the media could no longer ignore it, since the unedited, full video of the incident was being mass-circulated on social media― for everyone to see.
Robby Soave of the leftist website Reason wrote: “The media wildly mischaracterized that video of Covington Catholic Students confronting a Native American veteran. Journalists who uncritically accepted Nathan Phillips’ story got this completely wrong.”
“Various media figures and Twitter users called for them to be doxxed, shamed, or otherwise punished, and school administrators said they would consider expulsion.
But the rest of the video—nearly two hours of additional footage showing what happened before and after the encounter—adds important context that strongly contradicts the media’s narrative.”
https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/1087088839447977984
Sandman also issued a lengthy statement explaining the facts — contradicting the left-wing media spin.
The teen also revealed that he has received numerous death threats — all for committing the unpardonable sin of wearing a MAGA hat while standing silent.
https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/1087163131166629891
“You white people go back to Europe, this is not your land!”
“You white people go back to Europe, this is not your land”
AND PEOPLE ARE YELLING AT #CovingtonCatholic FOR THIS?
WHY? WHY? pic.twitter.com/3T1ONMrwBK— Nick Monroe (@nickmon1112) January 20, 2019
Apologies From Conservatives Roll In
Shortly afterward, apologies started rolling in. But they weren’t from the biggest offenders. They were actually from people on the right who had prematurely slammed Nick Sandmann.
RINO S.E. Cupp apologized — more than 48 hours after slamming the teenagers without proof. But she only did it AFTER she spread the fake news in the first place.
Hey guys. Seeing all the additional videos now, and I 100% regret reacting too quickly to the Covington story. I wish I’d had the fuller picture before weighing in, and I’m truly sorry.
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) January 21, 2019
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington apologized to the teen for its knee-jerk condemnation. (If only the Catholic Church had been this quick to condemn the decades of pedophilia within its institution.)
"We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips…This behavior is opposed to the Church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person." -The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School#CovingtonCatholicHighSchoolhttps://t.co/ygZnlbpNvk
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) January 20, 2019
Rod Dreher of the American Conservative also apologized. “I jumped the gun and that was stupid and unjust,” Dreher wrote.
I apologize to the Covington Catholic boys. What Rod Dreher says of himself goes double for me. I jumped the gun and that was stupid and unjust. It is I, not the boys, who needs to take a lesson from this.
The Catholic Bonfire At The Stake https://t.co/uhYcgiLVWI via @amconmag
— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) January 20, 2019
CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeted the Reason story clarifying what happened, but did not apologize for helping spread the Big Lie.
.@reason: “Video footage strongly contradicts Native American veteran Nathan Phillips' claim that Covington Catholic High School boys harassed him. The media got this one completely wrong,” writes @robbysoave https://t.co/9Ki4iiTkQ9
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 20, 2019
Author Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert cartoon, issued a public mea culpa.
“I got fooled by CNN fake news,” Adams lamented. “That’s 100% on me.”
Turns out that the Covington Catholic kids were the good guys in the story. Consider this my public apology for assuming otherwise in my Periscope yesterday. I got fooled by @CNN fake news. That's 100% on me. https://t.co/GhkWigsDQQ
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 20, 2019
When the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman tweeted an article entitled “Fuller Picture Emerges of Viral Video,” One America News correspondent Jack Posobiec chided her, saying that’s “not an apology.”
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1087184002912534529
Litigator to Lying Media: See You In Court!
Media figures who defamed, doxxed, bullied, and threatened Nick Sandmann and his MAGA hat-wearing teenage friends should get themselves a good lawyer.
Litigator Robert Barnes offered to represent Sandman and other students at Covington Catholic High School should they decide to sue the New York Times, CNN, and other lying media for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
I will represent the kids for free if they want to sue @maggieNYT for obvious libel. https://t.co/VmqVqIVNoe
— Robert Barnes (@barnes_law) January 20, 2019
By the way, where was the media hysteria when these left-wing students harassed and assaulted this 71-year-old veteran during the Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS hearings?
Where was the media covering these students harassing this 71 year old vet during the Kavanaugh hearings? 🤔
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 20, 2019
Democrat Al Green: Donald Trump must be impeached as penance for ‘slavery’
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Samantha Chang is a senior staff writer for BizPac Review. She is a financial editor and lawyer based in New York City.
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