Iran proves media bias

Iran+proves+media+bias

Dalton Counts | @DaltonCounts11, Staff Columnist

When Donald John Trump rode down an escalator on June 16, 2015, he launched a war on our nation’s media. This was the date he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. Everyone scoffed at this act and saw it as an attempt to promote his national brand. However, this celebrity’s message resonated with millions in this country, and he easily won the nomination he so desired. One of his main focuses was an attack on the media, which he swears is “fake news.” Because Trump is such a polarizing figure, millions of others disagree with him and believe that the news they are seeing is genuine. While I disagree with the president on numerous issues, I have to believe that the latest headlines prove that our media is obviously slanted to the left. 

Just a few days ago, war with Iran was imminent. Our president had unjustly killed a foreign leader, and our troops were sure to be deployed across seas. While everyone on Twitter was enjoying the memes about this hypothetical event, others constantly checked the national news, dreading another military conflict in the Middle East. Because of Trump’s reckless actions, 2020 would begin with us going to war. Well, this is what the media told us. 

Days before the Suleimani killing, hundreds of his followers stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, killing one American. This was not widely reported even though this was a major event in the timeline of the Iran conflict. This is what drove our Commander in Chief over the edge, finally forcing him to decide to kill a terrorist. The Obama administration had avoided killing Suleimani for years and only offered bribery as a deterrence. None of this is mentioned in any coverage from major news organizations, like this article from CNN. The Trump Administration is obviously criticized in the “2020” section, although zero American lives have been lost from his actions. 

Few of us like to be wrong about something. The media is no different, and they are now attempting to save face. For years the media outlets praised President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. They promised that it guarantees Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. However, they ignored the obvious fact that the administration was bribing a regime with American dollars. Just conceptualize the response from the left if Trump sent billions of dollars in cash to a country where they openly chant “Death to America.” Would the media’s response not be incredibly similar? After all, Suleimani’s killing brought on parroted responses from both sides. It is for this reason that we must accept that our national news outlets have become incredibly slanted. I strongly disagree with the president when he avows that the media is “the enemy of the people.” However, if what these outlets produce isn’t fake news, what is? 

Of course, this may not be a major problem after all. All have differing views, and this could just be resonating with some Americans. No one is ignorant enough to suggest that Fox News isn’t slanted to the right. Nevertheless, it is time to stop believing that our media isn’t biased. Iran’s 2020 “crisis” has proven that it is.