Media coverage of attacks in US shows its ‘stupidity is not a handicap’: Joe Concha
An opinion piece argues that legacy American media are too fast to sugarcoat violent attacks and the extremists behind them, shaping a narrative that downplays threats and biases public perception.
Key points:
– The article highlights recent incidents in the past couple of weeks: a shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, a bombing attempt in New York City, and a synagogue attack in Michigan.
– It claims some coverage suggests the Trump management’s motives or safety concerns, while CNN and other outlets framed suspects in ways that the author views as too lenient or misleading.
– The author contends that the Biden administration argued that “white men were the biggest threat,” a claim he says the media amplified, but that recent attacks demonstrate that “stupidity is not a handicap” for some in the media.
– It quotes and references remarks by Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha, who accuses outlets of “sugarcoating” Islamic extremists and portraying them positively, comparing such coverage to “Santa Claus.”
– Specific media incidents are discussed, including Abby Phillip’s on-air apology for comments about the New York bombing and CNN’s deletion of an initial post that framed the NYC bombing attempt a certain way.
– The piece notes reactions from political figures and media executives, including calls for changes in coverage leadership and broader calls for broadcasters to “correct course” in Iran-related coverage.
– A video clip and several related stories are mentioned as part of the broader media discourse the author is criticizing.
– The overall tone is critical of what it sees as anti-American or overly sympathetic portrayals of attackers and a reluctance to clearly label motives.
In short, the article presents a strong critique of how some U.S. media cover violent attacks and terrorism, arguing that bias and self-censorship distort the public understanding of threats.
Media coverage of attacks in US shows its ‘stupidity is not a handicap’: Joe Concha
Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said Saturday that the “legacy media” is trying to “sugarcoat” recent attacks in the United States.
The past two weeks have seen various acts of violence and attempted terrorism, including a shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, a bombing attempt in New York City, and a synagogue attack in Michigan. Fox News aired an MS Now segment in which commentators speculated whether the Trump administration has an interest in keeping U.S. citizens safe, and a CNN segment on the suspects in New York City’s bombing attempt as “two Pennsylvania teenagers” whose lives would “drastically change” after throwing these bombs.
Concha said the Biden administration argued that “white men were the biggest threat to this country,” a statement that “legacy media went along with.” He said the recent attacks in the U.S., however, have proven that “stupidity is not a handicap for some in this business.”
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“They’re attempting to sugarcoat these homicidal Islamic extremists and who they really are. Did you see Jake Tapper this week?” Concha said on Fox News’s Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany. “He said, ‘We didn’t know the motivation or the politics of the Michigan synagogue attacker,’ who was clearly targeting Jewish children and hates America. That’s what the motivation was, those were his politics.”
Concha said it is “anti-American” when news outlets are “sugarcoating bad guys” and attempting to portray them positively, “like Santa Claus.”
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CNN deleted its initial post on X, on the New York City bombing attempt, saying its initial framing “failed to reflect the gravity of the incident.” Anchor Abby Phillip also apologized for saying on-air that the bombing attempt targeted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying the bombs were “thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed interest in seeing Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison take over CNN on Friday, as the company merges with CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has also called on broadcasters to “correct course” over their coverage of the Iran conflict.
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