Low-Octane Gaslighting – ABC NEWS
Just ignore the obvious and listen to Jon.
In his Sunday broadcast, Jonathan Karl was covering the killing of Charlie Kirk ahead of that day’s funeral service in Arizona. In his commentary, Karl makes the daft explanation that Charlie Kirk’s murder was NOT a political act.
ABC media personality Jon Karl says “the murder of Charlie Kirk was not a political act” pic.twitter.com/GtJErt6kbj
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 21, 2025
Just try to grasp that we are supposed to believe that a major political figure was killed over his political positions while speaking at a political rally, but it is in no way to be considered a “political act.”
Apparently bothered by the pushback he was receiving, Karl followed up and posted a longer clip from his commentary, which is rather confounding. Despite it being a longer segment, we can still clearly hear him say the very thing he was quoted as saying.
Here's what I actually said: pic.twitter.com/Uc4hgpaN8m
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) September 21, 2025
Presentation Paradox – WASHINGTON POST
If only there were an indicator why this show of force was needed!
In its coverage of the Charlie Kirk memorial on Sunday, WaPo was so out of control that it delivered an article that spans a few of our categories. There is the “pouncing” aspect (“In the days since his death, the president and his deputies have seized the moment …”), and a news avoidance aspect, as it tries to blow smoke over political motivations for his killing, referring to only his “death” and not being assassinated.
But the best appears to be how reporters Cat Zakrzewski, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Derek Hawkins act completely mystified about what they noticed. They try to sound positively flummoxed at the sight of a heavy security presence seen at the service…uh, for a man who was gunned down in public at a large public gathering, just over a week earlier.
With security on the level of a Super Bowl and a speaker lineup on par with a state funeral, conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s service will combine memorial with political rally, requiring an unprecedented level of resources. https://t.co/k6BgUYoD8D
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 21, 2025
Stealth Story Evolution – NBC NEWS
Now, why would an outlet need to hide this detail…as they claim there is no violence on the left?
Over the weekend, there was the disturbing news item of a shooter opening fire on a wedding ceremony in New Hampshire, killing one person and injuring others. Charles Cooke noticed that at NBC News, it delivered a lengthy report on this attack, and yet there was a key detail that was never mentioned in its coverage.
This story consists of 20 paragraphs, and at no point in any of them does NBC relate that the shooter shouted “free Palestine!” before he opened fire. To find that out, I had to read the British left-wing newspaper, The Guardian. https://t.co/5SVFsz5dg7
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) September 21, 2025
Then, apparently, as a result of being called out for its obfuscation, NBC News altered its report, adding more details, including the words shouted by the shooter. It did not attribute the editing done to the article.
This story consists of 20 paragraphs, and at no point in any of them does NBC relate that the shooter shouted “free Palestine!” before he opened fire. To find that out, I had to read the British left-wing newspaper, The Guardian. https://t.co/5SVFsz5dg7
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) September 21, 2025
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
The story is developing, but the coverage is evaporating.
Coming into the weekend, there was rampant news coverage of a California television station that is an affiliate of ABC having gunfire aimed into its windows. This was, of course, all framed against the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and generated breathless reporting.
However…
Over the weekend, the shooter was identified and arrested, and we see that the media are completely apathetic with their follow-up reporting.
We have our suspicions as to why, given that he has been shown to be a leftist activist who has donated to Democrats.
The FBI has taken into custody the suspect linked to the shooting into ABC10’s Sacramento station lobby under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 22, 2025
Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. pic.twitter.com/M9yy1tSjGv
Low-Octane Gaslighting – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Considering this came from the editorial board, it makes the stunted logic all the worse.
The New York Times saw fit to weigh in on the “problem” we face with fee speech allegedly threatened. In a lengthy lecture in an editorial, the paper actually came forward with the tired and long disproven claim that you are not permitted to yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
How they can posture as authorities, as a group, and get things this wrong is simply a marvel.
In its hectoring editorial, the @NYTimes repeated the long-debunked myth that people are forbidden from "Yelling 'Fire' in a crowded theater."
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) September 22, 2025
This wildly false claim was not from a lone contributor; this was from the Editorial Board.
How does this pass their standards?! pic.twitter.com/gbjsydN3Cl
