If you’re hoping for an honest media to be a feature in Biden’s America, you might have to just keep on hoping.
Case in point: Lis Power, who serves as director of media intelligence for the leftist group Media Matters, blatantly mischaracterized comments made Thursday by Karl Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush. In a tweet, she parsed Rove’s remarks to make it seem as if he said during an appearance on Fox News that he was “offended” by President Joe Biden’s condemnation of racism during his inaugural address Wednedsay.
If you listen to the entire clip, of course, which she posted, that is not at all what Rove said. In fact, he told hosts Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer he believes the majority of the American people are “united” against racism and described Biden’s address as the “right speech for the moment.”
Here is Rove’s comment in its entirety (emphasis added):
The racism thing to me — I was offended in the speech. I thought it was a good speech. It wasn’t a great speech, but it was a good speech. It was the right speech for the moment. But there was a point in there where he said, “We’re divided as a country between the people who believe in the American ideal and racism, nativism, and fear.” No, we’re divided as a country politically over questions of policy and direction and respect. But we’re united as a country against racism and nativism. There are people in this country who are racist, there are are people who are nativist. But the vast majority of Americans stand together on those issues. And that was an attempt to basically say, “If you’re not for me, you’re part of the group that’s racist and nativist and fear-mongering,” which I didn’t think was a good note to strike.
Anyone who takes less than a minute-and-a-half to watch the full clip will see the truth. Rove was not suggesting he was or is in any way “offended” by Biden or anyone else speaking out against racism. Rather, the former presidential adviser was offended by Biden’s apparent generalization of all of his political opponents and those who didn’t vote for him in November, seemingly lumping all conservative voters into one basket of racist citizens.
Alas, that didn’t matter to the Daily Beast.
Shortly after Power posted her intentionally misleading tweet, the left-leaning outlet ran a story with the headline: “Karl Rove Tells on Himself, Says He Was ‘Offended’ That Biden Decried ‘Racism.'”
Daily Beast contributing editor Justin Baragona wrote in his lede sentence that Rove “curiously railed against President Joe Biden’s call to battle racism and white supremacy on Thursday morning.” He went on to — just like Power — intentionally mischaracterize Rove’s remarks on Fox News.
This kind of manipulation is unhelpful and will only serve to further split an already bitterly divided country. So many are quick to place the blame on Trump for the partisan rancor in the country today, but it’s long past time for our media elites to consider their role in the state of our nation.
In much of the mainstream media, those on the left are given frequent passes for their blunders, missteps, or even downright offensive comments. They are almost always given the benefit of the doubt. Conservatives, on the other hand, are rarely — if ever — extended the same kind of treatment. Instead, many, like Rove, face hostile coverage and divisive reporting.
This characterization by Power and the Daily Beast is lazy journalism at best and intentionally misleading content intended to sow division at worst.