On July 3, Yahoo News let it all hang out. The caption under the unflattering photo of Donald Trump read, “A level of idiocy I haven’t seen in a long time”--quoting someone named Alfonso Aguilar, a person unknown to 99.9% of the American public, but, apparently someone Yahoo News holds in high esteem. Yahoo News and Mr. Aguilar were disparaging Donald Trump because the GOP presidential candidate had made some unflattering comments about Mexican illegal aliens, a sacred cow of the left and ethnic activists. Ironically, on Yahoo News in the section below the Trump headline and other marquee news stories, there was a headline titled “San Francisco: No ‘legal basis’ to hold shooting suspect” which, when you clicked on it and read the story, turned out to be about an illegal alien from Mexico, who had been deported several times, who allegedly shot a young woman to death on the street. The Yahoo News headline did not mention words like “illegal alien” or “Mexico,” so unless you clicked the story and read more, you would not have made the connection between the crime and the suspect’s immigration status, unlike Yahoo News’s placement of the words “level of idiocy” below the photo of Donald Trump, which created an instant connection.
On another occasion, on November 5, 2014, right after the Republicans won landslides in the House and Senate, Yahoo News threw pretence to the wind and showed up all dressed up like the Daily Kos. Taking a story from the Huffington Post, the headline read, “America, Meet Your New Republican Bosses.” It is not clear why YN or HuffPo consider senators or representatives “bosses,” but the use of that word for Republicans is quite revealing. Yahoo News has never referred to President Obama or the Supreme Court justices as America’s “bosses.”
Yahoo News is virtual news. It gives the impression of reporting topical facts, but it is actually propagating a political (i.e., leftist) viewpoint. What could be more deceptive? By carefully selecting which stories to highlight, and editing images and language for effect, the people at Yahoo News and other mainstream media can promote their causes and attack their opponents while pretending to be journalists. They can have it all.
They start by selecting the articles. Yahoo News often takes commentaries from leftist websites like the Huffington Post, and puts them out, as though they were news. (“Republicans are Going to Leave the Country and set Themselves on Fire Due to SCOTUS,” Yahoo News, June 26, 2015, or “A week that lived up to America’s great declaration,” referring favorably to two awful Supreme Court decisions, Yahoo News, June 28, 2015, by someone named Jerry Adler ) They also frequently quote “celebrities” like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, as though they were sages with an important message. (“Jon Stewart Weighs in on South Carolina Shooting,” Yahoo News June 19, 2015) (Some sages? These guys are comedians whose shows are so boring that 90% of Americans have never even seen them.) Admirably, in the past three years Yahoo News has posted a few columns by Ann Coulter, probably to be able to say, “See, we post Ann Coulter too.” But a few Ann Coulter columns among thousands of leftist propaganda pieces only further highlights their bias.
Recommended
On illegal aliens, Yahoo News avoids articles that shine a light on their crimes. YN editors will show us the illegal alien kid who became valedictorian but not the one who rapes a 10-year-old girl, although the second one’s story is more important for the public to read about.
Yahoo News is pro LGBT 24/7. (“Obama replies to 5 year old’s gay marriage note,” Yahoo News, May 25, 2015; “White House, buildings across country celebrate,” Yahoo News, June 27, 2015) Almost every day in May and June, we heard about the “heroism” of a rich, white man in California who likes to wear women’s clothes. (“The trend Caitlyn Jenner has inspired,” Yahoo News, June 6, 2015) With so many positive stories about gays et al., Yahoo News helped create the impression before the recent Supreme Court gay “marriage” ruling that most of the American public was supportive of the movement.
Similarly, Yahoo News, like the rest of the mainstream media, plays defense for the Obama administration and leftwing politicians. No criticism of the left gets past them. Thus, YN hardly mentioned the terrorist attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, except to promote the administration’s false story about a Youtube video inciting a spontaneous riot. The possibility that the Obama administration was incompetent, unsympathetic to the plight of our ambassador, and involved in a cover-up of its mistakes doesn’t interest the YN editors. (“House intel panel debunks Benghazi theories,” Yahoo News, November 21, 2014)
And when Yahoo News isn’t on defense, it’s on offense, leading the assault on limited-government-free-market people. Donald Trump was attacked repeatedly the past few days. On other days, it is Bobby Jindal (“Bobby Jindal’s ‘creepy’ trick on his kids,” Yahoo News, June 25, 2015) or Ted Cruz. Should anyone, even a no-name person like Alfonso Aguilar, say something bad about Ted Cruz or Sarah Palin (or her family), it will show up on Yahoo News ten minutes later. (“Bristol Palin’s ex-fiance speaks out,” Yahoo News, June 27, 2015) There are no similar attacks on Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton, and criticisms of Barack Obama never see the light of day, unless they are mild criticisms coming from people on the left, or unless the opportunity is used to ridicule the criticizer.
Then, there’s the choice of images. Even when the article is a genuine news story, Yahoo News can select a photo to promote its cause. Photos of Barack Obama usually show him looking presidential. Photos of gays are always normal-looking, happy people, not the guys wearing black leather pants with the seat cut out, who march in gay pride parades. Illegal aliens are mothers and babies, not the gangbangers with tattoos over their faces and necks.
Most effective, however, is language. Unlike photos, the words the media use get repeated and eventually get accepted, skewing the debate. Calling George Zimmerman a “white Hispanic” and referring to French national socialist Marine LePen as a “right-winger” are examples.
Language is also chosen for immediate impact. Note, for example, “Donald Trump is Taking All His Toys and Going Home,” (Yahoo News, June 27, 2015) which should be titled, “Trump stands up to leftist attacks.” Note, also, “Obama to shield 5 million immigrants,” (Yahoo News, November 14, 2015) which should be titled “Obama violates Constitution to grant amnesty to many millions of illegal aliens.”
Yahoo News is, of course, not alone in spreading virtual news. All of the mainstream media--ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, PBS, BBC, etc., are just as guilty. If they labeled themselves “commentary” sites like Townhall.com or the Daily Kos, we would have no cause to complain, but they pretend to be purveyors of news. That is perhaps the world’s biggest fraud.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member