How conservative media transformed the Covington Catholic students from pariahs to heroes

Conservatives have realized they can construct a parallel reality and have it accepted.

1. Reframe the debate as soon as possible

One thing that rightwing media understands much better than their liberal counterparts is that the ubiquity of recording devices at any current protest tends to shatter the public record into dozens of pieces.

A particular version of events based on early footage can always be called into question, and another version put forward as definitive, as more footage, and alternative edits of footage emerge. Partisans can pick and choose, knowing that a definitive version of what happened may not emerge before the news cycle has moved on.

Just as importantly, additional footage allows the discussion to be reframed. Instead of asking why a group of schoolboys were protesting wearing hats that many in the community view as a symbol of racism, conservatives quickly turned it into a game of who approached whom, and began discussing the teenagers as if they were literal martyrs.

The most influential revisionist account of the confrontation to emerge was written by Reason’s Robbie Soave. In a commentary on the two-hour version of the original video (which readers were unlikely to watch in full), where Soave reframed the discussion to include the actions of a group unrelated either to the students or to Native protesters, and claimed that there had been no wrongdoing on the part of the students. Conservatives picked this ball up and ran with it as far as they could.

2. Pick your narratives

So far, conservative media has been unified and resolute in hammering the narrative that Nathan Philips, a Native American veteran, somehow provoked the boys by coming between them and a small group of Black Hebrew Israelites, to whose insults they had responded to with chants.

No amount of additional footage showing their Maga-yelling rowdy behavior and sexist comments before the event – not even clear and concise edits showing how aggressive and provocative the teens were and how calm Phillips was – is capable of knocking them off this course.

If you want a lesson in how this kind of persistence works, look at the coverage from Gateway Pundit since Saturday. Very early on, Jim Hoft recognized the symbolic value of the confrontation, doggedly pushed his own, partial interpretation of events, smeared everyone on the other side, and then brought the entirety of conservative media with him. (Earlier, even some conservative outlets had been critical of the boys). His reward was seeing that version of events trumpeted by Tucker Carlson on Monday night, who also launched a broadside at any conservatives who had wavered from exonerating the teens.

That night, and Tuesday, Carlson’s fellow Fox News hosts were singing from the same songsheet. And if Fox News presents a unified message, the President frequently echoes it.

3. Focus on the extremes of the other side

Another tactic conservative media uses is to only consider the most appalling versions of opposing arguments, and to focus their audience’s anger on reliable scapegoats.

To avoid confronting reasonable arguments or new evidence, conservatives emphasize the worst of the other side – like tweets calling for violence or doxxing. Tweets calling for violence or doxxing against high school students are obviously and clearly unacceptable, but nor are they typical of the criticisms made of the boys, their school, and their conduct. They also focus the audience on liberal journalists and celebrities – mostly women – who their audience’s feel comfortable in deriding and dismissing.

As of Wednesday, as a result of these well-work tactics, liberal media has almost completely backed away from their initial, justified take on the story.

When will we ever learn?


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/23/how-conservative-media-transformed-the-covington-catholic-students-from-pariahs-to-heroes

A very common pattern. See it every day. Everyone should read...fully!

Original Quill wrote:A very common pattern.  See it every day.  Everyone should read...fully!

i also think some of the left media are a guilty of doing this.

They simple are not as apt or as good as the American Consevative media

Thor wrote:

Original Quill wrote:A very common pattern.  See it every day.  Everyone should read...fully!

i also think some of the left media are a guilty of doing this.

They simple are not as apt or as good as the American Consevative media

The problem is, whereas the right emphasizes the self (individualism) and is narcissistic in emphasizing the self (as paramount in the scheme), the left genuinely wants to improve the community. The worst that can be said about the left is that they occasionally get it wrong.

But the right intends to get it wrong. The right intends to grab as much as they can from the other guy, and fook the world and the consequences.

So the left is guilty of, at most, mere negligence. The right is guilty of true malice. These are the fundamentals of their respective ideologies.

Original Quill wrote:

Thor wrote:

i also think some of the left media are a guilty of doing this.

They simple are not as apt or as good as the American Consevative media

The problem is, whereas the right emphasizes the self (individualism) and is narcissistic in emphasizing the self (as paramount in the scheme), the left genuinely wants to improve the community.  The worst that can be said about the left is that they occasionally get it wrong.

But the right intends to get it wrong.  The right intends to grab as much as they can from the other guy, and fook the world and the consequences.

So the left is guilty of, at most, mere negligence.  The right is guilty of true malice.  These are the fundamentals of their respective ideologies.

I agree some have malice and so do some on the left. Some far left media sources are full of deliberate malice

Like I said the right are simple more apt at doing this and more so in the US. So on that point, in regards to the US, your point has some foundation.

I mean for example, one media source throughout this whole incident that has really surprised me.

The Daily Mail

They have throughout reported on literally everything from both sides, not once trying to sway or influence either side

They are a right wing media source as well.

Didge wrote:Like I said the right are simple more apt at doing this and more so in the US. So on that point, in regards to the US, your point has some foundation.

I have a different theory.  The core ideology of the right is selfishness; the core ideology of the left is community.  Selfishness is nearer to larceny, community much farther off.

Take a look at the life story of Donald Trump...it's playing in theaters right now.        I think your aptness theory is simply an antiseptic form of saying selfishness works...in the short term.  And so it does...look at Trump.  But it does violence to the norms of humanity and enlightened self-interest.  Watch where he's at when he comes out of this government shutdown.

Come on Quill, I'm of the so called right, Never the less Quill, I'd come to your aid if you were in danger !

Original Quill wrote:

Didge wrote:Like I said the right are simple more apt at doing this and more so in the US. So on that point, in regards to the US, your point has some foundation.

I have a different theory.  The core ideology of the right is selfishness; the core ideology of the left is community.  Selfishness is nearer to larceny, community much farther off.

Take a look at the life story of Donald Trump...it's playing in theaters right now.        I think your aptness theory is simply an antiseptic form of saying selfishness works.  And so it does...look at Trump.  But it does violence to the norms of humanity and enlightened self-interest.  Watch where he's at when he comes out of this government shutdown.

The premise that its down to selfishness does not hold water I am afraid

They give more to charities than the left and being charitable is not a selfish trait  

I have no doubt that some people like Trump are selfish, but many people on the right are certainly not selfish

Anyway, back later

The complete video is what changed the narrative.  The only people spinning now are Vox, Huff Post, Yahoo, Shaun King and the like. Really, Vox is the best.  God there is a bunch of sanctimonious  bullshit  on that page.

nicko wrote:Come on Quill, I'm of the so called right,   Never the less Quill,  I'd come to your aid if you were in danger !

+1


and seconded

Laters mate

nicko wrote:Come on Quill, I'm of the so called right,   Never the less Quill,  I'd come to your aid if you were in danger !

Ehhhh...at a price, nicko. At a price. I agree, we've all got a lot of selfishness in us and we've all got a lot of community in us. It's just that one side emphasizes the selfish ethos, and another side emphasizes the community ethos. So, after the elections we tend to get tax breaks for the wealthy, or an increase in the NHS and services for the poor.

Look at Trump: a rich man has closed down the government and locked out 800,000 federal workers without any income, in order to get his way. He cannot fathom what is wrong, he is so steeped in his ethos of the selfish and wealthy.

See ya, Thor.

The media which misreported what happened should back down. They should have checked their facts and sources before they ran with the story in the first place.

Those newsreaders (mainly female) who just spouted what they were told must surely be wondering if it's the right job for them.

Raggamuffin wrote:The media which misreported what happened should back down. They should have checked their facts and sources before they ran with the story in the first place.

Those newsreaders (mainly female) who just spouted what they were told must surely be wondering if it's the right job for them.

Are you still talking about the Covington School kids? We were just discussing how one's view is determined by framing. You are still caught up in the MAGA framing.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:The media which misreported what happened should back down. They should have checked their facts and sources before they ran with the story in the first place.

Those newsreaders (mainly female) who just spouted what they were told must surely be wondering if it's the right job for them.

Are you still talking about the Covington School kids?  We were just discussing how one's view is determined by framing.  You are still caught up in the MAGA framing.

I'm discussing the subject matter of the thread. You should try it some time.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Are you still talking about the Covington School kids?  We were just discussing how one's view is determined by framing.  You are still caught up in the MAGA framing.

I'm discussing the subject matter of the thread. You should try it some time.

Yes, the interesting discussion on the importance of framing in any debate. The Covington School kids are but one example.

Best not to argue the example, but address the point.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I'm discussing the subject matter of the thread. You should try it some time.

Yes, the interesting discussion on the importance of framing in any debate.  The Covington School kids are but one example.

Best not to argue the example, but address the point.

The point is that it shouldn't matter which political bias the media has, they should check their facts and get them right before they spout off. If the "conservative" media has turned this around, it's because the leftie/liberal/whatever media got it wrong in the first place.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Yes, the interesting discussion on the importance of framing in any debate.  The Covington School kids are but one example.

Best not to argue the example, but address the point.

The point is that it shouldn't matter which political bias the media has, they should check their facts and get them right before they spout off. If the "conservative" media has turned this around, it's because the leftie/liberal/whatever media got it wrong in the first place.

But it is a perfect piece by which to demonstrate (exemplify) how framing creates conclusions.  It's not about "checking" facts, as much as raising facts.  It casts "facts" as pillars leading to conclusions, and thus affects how we should think about things.

For example, if I write a piece about how cats are great family pets, and they promote family values, we love cats and nicko is most happy.  But if I write a piece about how cats are the most destructive, wasteful carnivores known to man, we have a different view and nicko is most displeased.  You see the importance of framing is not the facts, but the perspective...the framing.

It is a most interesting, and insightful point to be made to an audience dedicated to discussion of news and current events, wouldn't you agree?  And wouldn't you also agree that Newsfixboard is such a forum?

Quill, Cats rule, Dogs obey !