The US mainstream media is doing everything in their power to portray the mayor of Springfield, Ohio, as an honorable man who takes no risks. Mayor Brian Heck told reporters this week that he is not aware of any confirmed cases of Haitian refugees eating pets. He spent his press conference muttering about misinformation and retreating to a voicemail filled with calls.
You don't need to mention Baghdad Bob's name to identify bureaucrats who have overstepped their bounds. My city council members say time and time again that there is no crime wave in DC, even when I had to move because my family's safety was threatened. And it wasn't just me; the entire officer class of our Knights of Columbus chapter followed suit within a year. It's sad, but denying anything is wrong is a pathological desire of the politicians and bureaucrats responsible.
The words “authorities said” Never It serves as a substitute for reporting.
But reporters are taking the gamble anyway. It was surprising to watch CNN repeat its “fact-check” rosary over and over again, with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) citing multiple phone calls from constituents.
“Authorities say there is no credible evidence to support the allegations!” “Authorities say there is no credible evidence to support the allegations!” “Thank you Brian for all your denials. CNN is with you.”
When Vance suggested that the media had a responsibility to take seriously the stories of people whose lives have been ruined by this immigration crisis, his tormentor cut him off, concluding, “Again, authorities say there is no hard evidence to support that claim,” before passing the question back to Jake Tapper. Those were his final words.
It is not enough to state categorically that “the authorities said.” Never It's a substitute for reporting. Public officials say a lot of things. I'm not saying that the word of the mayor of Springfield is less important than the word of a state senator, but citing it as absolute truth when it's advantageous to your party is not reporting.
And quoting him (without reporting it himself) to silence a former president and his running mate (during a debate) and then flooding the area with Google and Yahoo search results is a dangerous game to play when you're talking about an unknown immigrant population in a city you've never been to, who are literally from the poorest country in the entire Western Hemisphere, and who the New York Times itself has reported on. (As of 2010) Approximately 50% to 95% of people a bit Voodoo.
Do you think it's at least possible that someone is eating cats, or is it just “racism,” as Dana Bash puts it?
Blaze Media has had reporters in Springfield all week, and will send one again on Monday, and let's just say we're skeptical.
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