Several establishment media outlets, including ABC News, NBC News, and CBS News have largely failed to draw attention to the chaos in Seattle as demonstrators set up barriers, establishing their own police-free Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).
“Media bias is not just in the stories that get covered, but the ones that don’t,” Tom Bevan, co-founder and president of RealClearPolitics, observed.
“Total blackout on the insanity in Seattle on major news websites: ABC News, NBC News, CBS News,” he added, providing screenshots demonstrating the point:
Forgot the Associated Press: pic.twitter.com/Ueh7o4zcYP
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) June 11, 2020
Two movies: CNN doesn't even bother to cover the Seattle story, Fox makes it their lead. pic.twitter.com/KkcPLDxK8c
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) June 11, 2020
Indeed, a Thursday afternoon look at the homepages of these media outlets revealed an absence of coverage about Seattle — a remarkable development given the fact that President Trump, late Wednesday night, explicitly warned state and local leaders to regain control of the city:
Radical Left Governor @JayInslee and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before. Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2020
Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2020
Protesters set up the autonomous zone after police abandoned their precincts, cordoning off several blocks and declaring the area “liberated” — a term also used by the New York Times, which also described it as a “homeland for racial justice.” Members of Antifa have been reportedly looking for armed volunteers to man the barriers establishing the seized ground, as Breitbart News detailed.
While the activists are generally standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, those occupying the “autonomous” area include self-described anarchists and socialists who have broader visions and agendas, demanding amnesty for illegal aliens, free college, free health care, free public housing, and the abolition of the Seattle Police Department.
Local leaders, including Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and Mayor Jenny Durkan (D), have dismissed Trump’s call to regain control of the city:
A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state’s business. “Stoop” tweeting. https://t.co/O6i04qmZ9v
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) June 11, 2020
Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/H3TXduhlY4
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) June 11, 2020
Trump has yet to take any action in Seattle, but White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Thursday that the president could utilize the military as “an absolute last resort backstop” to secure the streets.
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