Press Amplifies GOP Attack Line: Walz Too Slow to Use Force Against BLM
Corporate media are allowing the debate to revolve around the question of whether Tim Walz was quick enough to use force against Black Lives Matter protests.
‘We Know What Keeps Us Safe: People Need Care and Not Punishment’
“What invest/divest demands is the investing in mental health support, the investing in first responders who actually know what to do in a crisis,”
Monifa Bandele on Reimagining Public Safety, Svante Myrick on Roadblocks to Voting
Communities are hard at work reimagining public safety without punitive policing. There’s new work on those possibilities.
The Baltimore Sun’s Reckoning on Freddie Gray
The Baltimore Sun’s narrative of Freddie Gray’s death was largely shaped by police’s version of events, presented with limited skepticism.
‘We Need a Gender-Inclusive Understanding of Police Violence’
“Not a lot of people would understand that Black women are often killed by the police when they actually ask for help.”
Who Gets to Talk About How Police Need to Change?
The New York Times leaned heavily on official sources when reporting on policing policy—giving the biggest platform to the targets of reform.
Tyre Nichols Was One of Too Many
News outlets treat cases like Tyre Nichols’ as isolated incidents, lavishing short-term attention that makes the chronic seem exceptional.
You Don’t Stop Police Killings by Calling them ‘Fatal Encounters’
Describing repeated police murder of Black people as “fatal encounters,” the New York Times works to soften a blow that shouldn’t be softened.
Vivek Shandas on Climate Disruption & Heat Waves, Jamie Kalven on Laquan McDonald Coverup
There’s a way to tell the story of heat waves that connects to policy and planning, but that centers human beings.
Corporate Media Celebrate Criminal Justice System—While Differing on Outcomes
The jury’s decision was framed as the correct call by the justice system, a verdict that upheld the right to self defense,
Blaming BLM for Homicide Rise—and Excusing Massive Spike in Gun Sales
Media show a striking lack of interest in the massive increase in gun sales as a driver of shootings and homicides.
The Thin Blue Lies Behind Crime Wave Hype
Right-leaning media have used the uptick in certain crime categories to argue we need more cops and law enforcement to save our cities.
Why Do White Republicans Oppose Black Lives Matter?
The role of right-wing media purveyors of outright bigotry and falsehood in turning white Republicans strongly against the Black Lives Matter movement should not be overlooked.
If Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Case Is a ‘Non-Issue,’ Why Have Media Gone to Such Lengths to Silence Him?
If elite media were actually engaged in a serious reckoning with the racism of the US criminal justice system, they would cover the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
‘It’s Important Americans Don’t Take for Granted They Can Exercise Their First Amendment Rights’
“These bills…use vague, sweeping language to define new criminal offenses, or redefine existing ones, related to conduct that may occur during a protest.”
Elly Page on Anti-Protest Bills, Christy Mallory on Targeting Trans Youth
If the Chauvin verdict is testament to the power of protest, so too are the vigorous efforts to squelch that power. Plus: Right-wing legislators target trans kids at the state level.
WSJ Rage at ‘Woke’ China Foreshadows New Redbaiting of Social Justice Activists
The Wall Street Journal editorial board (3/7/21) has accused a major Chinese newspaper, and by extension the People’s Republic of China, of exploiting progressive rhetoric around racial justice to create division in the United States. The Journal‘s target was an editorial in the Communist Party–owned newspaper Global Times (2/23/21), which complained that the US, […]
Sahouri Acquitted, But US Press Freedom Still Under Attack
Journalists don’t need to embrace the cause of a protest in order to cover it accurately and in full. But they do need to take a side in the fight over the right to protest,
‘Being Neutral in the Face of a Fascist Threat Is Not an Acceptable Journalistic Value’
“It’s not that they were unprepared, it’s that they were prepared for white nationalists, which to them is not a crisis in the same way that Black people demanding rights is.”
Best of CounterSpin 2020
A reflection of the sorts of conversations we hope have offered some voice or context or information that you might not have heard elsewhere, or that might help you assess the news you are hearing.
