Here’s a powerful way to see the bias of news agencies: look at their attribution.
To guide you toward their preferred narratives, they use a two-pronged trick:
If a claim supports their narrative, they drop attribution and present it as a settled fact.
If a claim counteracts their narrative, they not only attribute, but pile on skepticism.
In the latest episode, I give you an example that’s particularly significant now — and can involve life-and-death consequences for Americans.
The unattributed ‘fact’
In the wake of the recent National Guard shooting by an Afghan immigrant, new questions were raised about the vetting of Afghans who flocked into the United States en masse in 2021.
Last week, I wrote about how the media helped Trump spread a lie following the deadly shooting. Four years ago, the same media also helped the Biden administration spread a claim that turned out to be a lie.
Despite the chaos at the time, the administration insisted that Afghans were being vetted before being allowed into the country. Big Media then presented the claim as fact.
“Anyone who arrives here has already been vetted before they come to the United States,” PBS claimed.
“Bottom line, Afghans coming here are being rigorously vetted either before leaving Afghanistan or in transit countries like Qatar or Kuwait before arriving in the US, and in some cases, both,” CNN insisted in a “fact check” video.
Note the lack of attribution or sourcing. There’s no “the Biden administration says,” or “military officials say.” The news agency decided that this is a fact you must accept.
But it wasn’t, according to a report the following year from the Office of the Inspector General. Amid the frantic push to get Afghans out, the United States “may have admitted or paroled individuals into the United States who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities,” the report said.
The ‘don’t trust this’ tactic
The opposite happens when a news agency wants you to distrust a claim. For a powerful example of this, listen to Episode 12.
I explored how the media treats Hamas claims as fact with no attribution, including in headlines, which far more people see. Yet when Israel makes a statement, even the headline says Israel “alleges” it “without providing evidence.” It’s the news agency telling you: Do not trust this source.
More recently, I showed you how the New York Times, and its popular propagandist Ezra Klein, present Hamas’ debunked “death toll” claims as unattributed fact, while ignoring actual analyses from Israel. I contrasted that against the Times’ own reporting of alleged death tolls from Russia and Ukraine, which the paper drapes in loads of context, attribution, and skepticism.
There are also times when a news agency has every reason to know that something is false, but states it as a fact anyway. That’s what Vox Media did recently.
Vox Media's big lie
It’s a central tenet of journalism: When a person or entity is accused of a crime or any horrible act, you emphasize that it’s an accusation or allegation
Once you see this trickery in action, you can’t unsee it. Want to tell news agencies how you feel? Here’s how.
Paid subscriber exclusive: Read how the media rushed the 2021 process that overwhelmed hospitals and military bases.
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