FLASHBACK: Liberal media condones, downplays violence from left-wing protesters
The liberal media has previously downplayed, and in some cases even appeared to condone violence done by left-leaning protesters.
The liberal media has appeared disinterested by the possibility of pro-choice protesters’ demonstrations turning violent, with some members urging activists to channel their anger outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices, or in some cases, even condoning violence against conservatives.
A reporter for Rewire News Group called for "more" violence Sunday against pro-life Americans as she enthusiastically reacted to reports of vandalism against the headquarters of a pro-life group in Wisconsin.
"More of this. May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground," Caroline Reilly wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
That same day, CNN anchor Laura Jarrett assuaged concerns about the safety of Supreme Court members, pointing out that the demonstrations have been "overwhelmingly non-violent."
Protesters at the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (Fox News)
"I think for a lot of people a conversation about civility feels like it misses the mark," Jarrett added.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg attempted to defend Lori Lightfoot after the Chicago mayor was accused of inciting violence when she tweeted, "To my friends in the LGBTQ+ community – the Supreme Court is coming for us next. This moment has to be a call to arms."
Goldberg threw cold water on the insinuation the tweet could provoke a violent response, calling the "call to arms" phrase a figure of speech from the civil rights movement.
"That doesn't mean to go and do any fighting. That means to pay attention and make sure you’re there voting, doing what you need to do," Goldberg said.
Left-leaning networks have repeatedly downplayed or outright condoned violence from their own ranks, such as during the George Floyd protests of 2020, some of which escalated into riots.
Building goes up in flames during George Floyd protests.
At the time, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and 1619 Project author Nikole Hannah Jones said the destruction of property by social justice rioters was "not violence" and said it was "not moral" to conclude that it was.
"Any reasonable person would say we shouldn’t be destroying other people’s property, but these are not reasonable times," she added during an interview with CBSN.
MSNBC host Joy Reid also seemed to justify the violence resulting from countrywide racial justice protests when she said "people get mad" and "people get sick" of Black Americans being killed by police.
"People are risking COVID to explain to this country that we’re fed up," she added.
Then-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo also tried to normalize the violence taking place during the summer of George Floyd’s death when he said "most major movements" that have sparked change in American history have inevitably led to a "direct confrontation" with the U.S. government.
"Please, show me where it says protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful?" Cuomo asked during another segment discussing Black Lives Matter protests in New York City.
While Cuomo and a number of other liberal pundits appeared to condone, or at the very least rationalize the unrest, some in the media outright denied violence had occurred, declaring visibly destructive riots as peaceful.
In one infamous example, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, during a live 2020 report from Minneapolis, described the situation as not "generally speaking unruly," while standing just outside a burning building.
"I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not, generally speaking, unruly but fires have been started and this crowd is relishing that," Velshi said at the time.
A protester feeds a small fire near the south entrance of the Justice Center after a riot was declared during a protest to decry the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse Trial. Portland, Oregon, USA, November 19th, 2021 (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/SIPA USA)No Use Germany. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/SIPA USA)
CNN was also panned around that time for an on-air graphic describing the Kenosha riots as a "fiery but mostly peaceful protest."
But the soft language used to describe vandalism, destruction and violence caused by left-wing demonstrators dates back even further than George Floyd, and appeared to gain steam after Donald Trump won the 2016 election.
MSNBC political contributor Jason Johnson said in 2018 he never liked the idea of civilians or journalists "getting attacked," but added the caveat that "people have reason to doubt the police’s dedication eradicating racism."
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens interjected, "Yeah, but thuggishness is thuggishness wherever it comes from politically, and we should the first to call it out."
"I disagree," Johnson responded.
That same year, as the far-left group Antifa was rising to prominence, CNN anchor Don Lemon appeared to defend the group.
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"Listen, no organization is perfect. There was some violence. No one condones violence," he said. "But there were different reasons for Antifa and for these neo-Nazis to be there. One, racists, fascists, the other group, fighting racist fascists. There is a distinction there."