Inauguration week highlights a far-left media covering a center-right country
By Gary Abernathy
Far-left media panics over Trump keeping his promises
The news coverage of this week’s inauguration of Donald Trump as our 47th president drove home a development that has been happening for several decades now — we are, politically, a center-right country, but we are being reported on by a traditional media infrastructure that is overwhelmingly comprised of far-left extremists.
While most of the country celebrated, or at least welcomed to some degree, the change in administrations from Joe Biden to Trump, most of the traditional media giants — the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN — offered dire warnings of impending doom or highlighted areas of society that very few Americans spend much time thinking about.
This week drove home the fact that the ultra-liberal prism through which everything is viewed by the far-left (formerly mainstream) media has become almost completely removed from the concerns of the majority of the country they cover.
Gallup reported just a few days ago that its latest polling continues to show that Americans describing themselves as “very liberal” are the smallest group among all Americans — just 9 percent. Even combined with those who describe themselves as “liberal” (as opposed to “very liberal”), the percentage adds up to only 26 — compared to 37 percent of Americans who describe themselves as “conservative” or “very conservative.” Those describing themselves as “moderate” amount to 34 percent.
In other words, it stacks up like this: Conservatives, 37 percent; moderates, 34 percent; liberals, 26 percent. Check out the chart below.
It’s notable that after years of “moderates” outpacing everyone, “conservatives” have moved into the lead as the dominant political ideology in the U.S.
As Gallup put it, “Most notably, the percentage of Americans identifying as moderate has declined from an average of 43% in 1992 to 34% in 2024, while conservatism has been fairly steady, fluctuating around the three-decade mean of 38%. As a result, moderates fell from being the largest ideological group in the 1990s to tying with conservatives in the early 2000s and lagging conservatives slightly during Barack Obama’s presidency from 2009 to 2016. Since then, the moderate share has tied or slightly trailed the conservative percentage.”
But the mainstream media has undeniably moved in the opposite direction, trending from being merely “liberal” in recent decades to “very liberal,” particularly based on their constant focus on “woke” ideology, ranging from racial issues and gender identity stories to climate change hysteria and “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives. In other words, our traditional media giants are basically devoting an inordinate amount of time, energy and attention to issues that only 9 percent of the population considers crucial.
There is nothing Trump is doing so far that he didn’t make clear during the campaign that he would do if elected. Still, the media is up in arms over Trump cracking down on illegal immigrants, ending DEI initiatives, instituting various tariffs, pardoning the “J6” rioters, trying to end birthright citizenship, ordering federal workers to report to the office, withdrawing from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organization, following through on his “drill, baby, drill” energy policies, and so on.
Yes, each of those actions is story-worthy. But it’s the hyperbolic “the end is near” tone of the stories that is out of touch with mainstream U.S. opinion.
The Washington Post: Federal workers fear job cuts, in-office mandates under Trump orders.
The Associated Press: Beneath a veneer of calm, Trump’s inauguration holds warning signs for US democracy.
The New York Times: Trump embraces the trappings of a perceived throne.
CNN: Advocacy groups advise LGBTQ+ community to take precautions after Trump’s move.
USA Today: Trump fumes at ‘nasty’ bishop who told him to ‘have mercy.’
CBS: Trump executive order says federal government only recognizes ‘two sexes.’
The Associated Press: Trump’s perceived enemies worry about losing pensions, getting audited and paying steep legal bills.
The issue is not that there is any information in the above stories that is egregiously wrong. It’s that the media makes choices on what it considers to be important and how it frames those issues, and when it comes to our biggest traditional news outlets, those choices are routinely geared toward the interests, concerns and biases of the far left. Channel surfing this week between the broadcast and cable networks revealed so much condescension and snark that you really have to wonder who they think their audience is — it’s obviously not the general population. And they wonder why Fox News trounces them in the ratings.
If Kamala Harris was assuming the presidency this week, without a doubt the far-left (formerly mainstream) media would be focusing on her historic inaugural address, which they would describe as “inspiring” and “aspirational,” the beauty and majesty of the inaugural balls, the joy felt around the world that the “stability” of the Biden administration was being carried forward, the collective brilliance of her cabinet picks … there are not enough superlatives in the English language to convey the positivity and breathless jubilation that would be embedded within each story and dispatch.
Big Media is paying the price. The panic over the possible demise of TikTok is telling. Can we imagine such handwringing if the entity in danger of going dark was the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, ABC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC or CNN? Sadly, few would care.
Increasingly, Americans are turning to Fox News. Even if they don’t entirely align with Fox’s conservative opinion hosts, they at least know they won’t be inundated with hour after hour of hosts and reporters clearly suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
During the 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. main window of coverage of Trump’s inauguration on Monday — the actual inauguration ceremony — Fox News trounced broadcast and cable competitors. The numbers: Fox News Channel, 10.3 million viewers; ABC, 4.7 million; , NBC, 4.4 million; CBS, 4.1 million; CNN, 1.7 million; MSNBC, 848,000.
The mainstream media can no longer be referred to as “mainstream” with a straight face. They are so far to the left of the mainstream of most Americans that they have become a niche product with a practically cult-like following. Their trust factor is in the gutter, their biases are on full display for all to see. And they have no one to blame but themselves.
As a result, layoffs continue. CNN was reportedly planning to announce “mass layoffs” this week, with NBC News also carrying out cuts. A couple of months ago, the Associated Press said it would reduce its workforce by about 8 percent. The Washington Post’s mass layoffs have been well-documented (no word on whether the Post is resuming its infamous practice of counting Trump’s “lies and misleading statements,” as it did during his first term but, of course, abandoned when Biden took office).
And CBS’ parent company is reportedly considering settling a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Trump over its dishonest editing of a campaign interview with Kamala Harris — on the heels of ABC News agreeing to a settlement with Trump over George Stephanopoulos’ repeated false statements that Trump had been found liable for rape.
It’s tragic watching once-respected news organizations self destruct because their staffs have become overwhelmingly comprised of journalists who are ideologically far to the left of mainstream America — and no longer trusted, watched or read by consumers in large enough numbers to be profitable.
It’s particularly disastrous because the far-left partisanship means Americans no longer get news they need to know. Instead, Americans are increasingly turning to social media platforms for their news feeds, which give them information that, by and large, merely reinforces their biases. The mainstream media’s surrender to “woke” culture and far-left dogma has gutted old-fashioned fair and detached journalism.
Yes, the ‘J6 Committee’ was totally biased and dishonest
In his interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that aired Wednesday night, President Trump was right when he railed against the January 6 committee.
The committee was stacked with Trump haters. The GOP was not allowed to put its chosen members on the committee. Committee members literally read every line from a prepared script. Evidence favorable to Trump or his supporters was disallowed or severely muted.
The claim that the committee destroyed evidence is absolutely true — even admitted to by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson. Even in a FactCheck.org post designed to defend the committee and “debunk” the claim that evidence was destroyed, the truth came out.
The FactCheck post buries this section at the end of its “fact check”: “In a footnote to that letter, Thompson explained, ‘the Select Committee did not archive temporary committee records that were not elevated by the Committee’s actions, such as use in hearings or official publications, or those that did not further its investigative activities.’”
In other words, the committee “did not archive” — or preserve — any evidence (“temporary committee records”) that did not make it into the committee’s public presentations (“that were not elevated by the Committee’s actions, such as use in hearings or official publications…”). So, if the committee didn’t like it, the committee didn’t save it.
Everyone recalls how so many tape-recorded depositions were suddenly cut off, practically in mid-sentence sometimes. A few minutes of testimony from witnesses were carefully culled, edited and aired, out of countless hours of interviews. But if evidence and information that was gathered didn’t “further its investigative activities” — in other words, fit its preferred narrative — the committee didn’t preserve it. Astounding.
The J6 committee is one of the most shameful, misleading and dishonest shams ever put forth by the U.S. Congress, and an investigation is entirely warranted.
Random thoughts on this & that, inauguration edition …
Headlines are warning that the Trump Department of Justice is investigating state and local prosecutors who are working to interfere with ICE doing its job to find, arrest and deport illegal immigrants. Many of us have wondered why this wasn’t happening all along. Sanctuary cities have always been confusing — how can local authorities decide not to obey or cooperate with enforcing federal laws? This is another example of a return to common sense. …
… Bravo to Carrie Underwood for her coolness and professionalism in resorting to an a capella version of “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony when there was a glitch with the music. It probably ended up being more special than it would have been had it gone off without a hitch. …
… Chief Justice John Roberts somewhat botched the swearing-in ceremony when he rushed things by telling Trump to “raise your right hand” before Melania and family members were in place. Roberts no doubt had an eye on the clock, as the appointed noon hour had already passed by a minute or so, but the country wasn’t going to disintegrate by waiting a few more seconds for everyone to be in place. Trump wasn’t able to place his left hand on the Bible, since Melania, who was holding it, had not yet taken her place. But for those questioning whether there was any spiritual diminishment from the oath because his hand was not on the Bible, Trump ending with “so help me God” — as most presidents have done, but which is not an official part of the oath — likely made up for it. …
… For the most part, the whole inauguration day was fun and joyful, media critics aside. Trump’s dancing to the “YMCA” song with the Village People, his little shuffle holding a sword, his signing of some executive orders in front of thousands at the Capitol One Arena, his impromptu press conference in the Oval Office late in the day, his discovery of the traditional note from his predecessor inside a desk drawer after being prompted by a reporter, all exhibited the kind of showmanship and bravado associated with Trump. Sometimes Trump is over the top, but it was a nice contrast to the gloom and doom and near invisibility of Biden over the past four years. …
… Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s choice of his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to replace new Vice President J.D. Vance in the U.S. Senate was probably the best decision. While Husted has not traditionally been seen as a MAGA-style Trump Republican, the suspicion here is that he, like Vance before him, is quickly becoming a convert and will be a reliable Trump vote. Husted is a strong traditional conservative and will bring the expertise that comes with 25 years of government experience. He will be less of a rookie than others, including Vivek Ramaswamy. By the way, if Ramaswamy runs for Ohio governor, he will probably win. …
… While Trump is so far meeting with less organized resistance than during his first term, there are those who are wholly invested in opposing him. For instance, on Tuesday, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett posted on X, “Every day this week, I’ll be breaking down Trump’s attacks on your rights and freedoms.” Thanks.
‘MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal’ — for yourself or for that friend or loved one confused about the election
“MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions” is a great addition to the library of MAGA Trump supporters, or the perfect gift for non-MAGA friends and loved ones to help them make sense of the 2024 election results. It’s available on Amazon. Buy it here.
The book (actually much thicker than the illustrations above indicate — the hardcover and paperback are each 453 pages) is a compilation of many of the nearly 200 columns I wrote for the Washington Post from 2017 to 2023 (and a handful of columns I wrote about Trump for The (Hillsboro) Times-Gazette from 2015 to 2017). The columns cover a variety of topics, but they particularly focus on Trump’s rise to political prominence and help explain his appeal.
Here’s a link to a website dedicated to the book.
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