MSNBC, CNN, ABC and more repeatedly pushed critical race theory ideology on TV while denying it exists
Liberal media outlets hosted guests that espoused CRT phrases like ‘systemic’ and ‘institutional racism’ while hosts claimed the educational theory was a myth created by Republicans.
Jon Stewart’s new episode of his Apple TV show saw the comedian host left-wing guests who took on the topic of race in America, arguing that all White people are on some level inherently racist and uphold the "systems" and "structures" of racism in U.S. law and culture.
It was yet another example of ideology crucial to critical race theory (CRT) receiving a prime media platform, which MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and other mainstream media outlets have pushed consistently while at times denying CRT exists.
Jon Stewart holds his awards for "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" during the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 20, 2015. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)
The topic of CRT was reignited this month when Republican lawmakers fielded questions about it to Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Liberal media networks subsequently accused the GOP of racism, sexism, and more.
Back in January, when it was announced that President Biden would make good on his campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin pushed back on the idea the president was playing "identity politics" and argued the candidate would likely be "overqualified" because she had overcome institutional and systemic racism.
Sunny Hostin rants against the Supreme Court, declaring Americans have the "Freedom to die from COVID" but not to vote or read the work of novelist Toni Morrison. (REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)
"If a Black woman graduated from Harvard and graduated from Harvard Law School, even in spite of sort of the institutional racism, the systemic racism that occurs in this country, that is just part of the very fabric of this country, she’s probably overqualified for any of these positions and that is just the truth of it," Hostin said.
Multiple media outlets, including "The View," have frequently uttered phrases found in CRT definitions, books and educational papers despite claims that CRT is "lie" or "boogeyman" created by the GOP. Some pundits have even asserted that CRT simply "does not exist" despite a plethora of online resources, even resources found on their own websites, which indicate the contrary.
In April 2020 with the pandemic just beginning, contributor Eddie Glaude Jr. said on MSNBC that the increased rate of COVID morbidity for Black Americans was the result of "deep structural racism that has defined American society for generations."
Dr. Chris Pernell, a public health physician, also told CNN in January 2021 that "systemic racism" was to blame for the disproportionate number of COVID deaths among Black Americans.
As the 2020 presidential campaign season kicked off, MSNBC analyst Zerlina Maxwell speculated the Iowa Caucus was a "perfect example of systemic racism" because 91% of the state’s voters are White and the "kids in cages" at the Southern Border were not.
New York Times editorial board member and MSNBC analyst Mara Gay took it a step further when she claimed in June 2021 that it was "not a theory" but a "fact" that racism is "embedded in the structure" of American institutions.
ABC also jumped in on the action when liberal commentator Angela Rye said "systemic racism" was not something you could "cherry-pick" and decide when one wants it to apply.
"It means the system at its core is rotten," she added.
Moments later she asserted that White Americans carry "White body supremacy" while Black Americans carry "Black body trauma."
ABC, CBS, NBC IGNORE HUNTER BIDEN SCANDALS, HAVEN’T MENTIONED HIS NAME IN 259 DAYS, STUDY SAYS
MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Late Night with Seth Mayers, July 16, 2019 ((Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images))
MSNBC, ABC, CNN, and CBS made references to "systemic racism" and "institutional racism" as well as other points that indicated American government and laws were inherently racist on numerous other occasions, echoing an important facet of CRT.
Yet, many of these media networks also downplayed CRT or outright denied its existence despite engaging in its vernacular and themes.
Both MSNBC’s Joy Reid and then-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo referred to CRT as a "bogeyman" propped up by conservative politicians.
The day after the Virginia gubernatorial race, CBS late night host Stephen Colbert said it must be difficult to campaign against someone who’s "promising to eliminate things that don’t exist," referring to Youngkin's opposition to CRT.
Following Youngkin’s win, MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace declared that CRT "isn’t real."
"…Critical Race Theory, which isn’t real, turned the suburbs 15 points to the Trump insurrection-endorsed Republican," Wallace said.
In a separate segment she compared banning CRT to "banning ghosts."
"There are no ghosts," she added.
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Many other pundits and guests, while not flat-out denying its existence, claimed that CRT was not taught in Virginia schools or virtually any K-12 schools in the country and instead could only be found at the college-level.