It’s a sickening double standard when the media won’t call out the politics of a murder suspect but will instead eagerly politicize the victim he admitted to killing. On Friday morning, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today repeatedly labeled the man shot and killed by an Antifa protester in Portland last weekend as “right-wing” and a “Trump supporter.” But no such political labeling was used for the Antifa activist who admitted to killing him on tape. The networks also eagerly touted the man claiming he shot the Trump supporter “in self defense.”
Overnight, as police attempted to arrest the murder suspect who called himself “100% Antifa,” the man pulled a gun on officers and was fatally shot. But NBC’s Willie Geist only labeled his murder victim.
“Overnight, the main suspect in that fatal shooting of an activist, following a Portland protest, was killed himself as authorities moved in to arrest him,” Geist said.
ABC’s Cecilia Vega followed suit on GMA: “A suspect accused of killing a right wing protester during the unrest in Portland was fatally shot by authorities during an attempted arrest on him.”
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In NBC correspondent Joe Fryer’s report, he also labeled the man killed as “far-right” repeatedly, but wouldn’t call the Antifa activist “far-left”:
[A]uthorities say they were attempting to arrest 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl believed to be involved in the killing of a right-wing supporter of President Trump. But in a new interview with Vice News, Reinoehl says he was acting in self-defense.
…According to officials, Reinoehl was allegedly involved in the killing of Aaron Jay Danielson over the weekend in Portland, following widespread protesters. The leader of the far-right group Patriot Prayer says Danielson was a supporter and was taking part in a pro-Trump caravan.
REINOEHL: I had no chance.
FRYER: In an interview aired with Vice News, Reinoehl, who describes himself as an anti-fascist, appears to admit to the shooting, said he acted out of self-defense.
ABC’s Matt Gutman also repeatedly called Danielson “right-wing” or a Trump supporter, but wouldn’t do the same for Reinoehl, (as if Antifa was apolitical?):
Overnight U.S. Marshals shooting and killing an Antifa demonstrator wanted for murder of a pro-Trump supporter, the incident caught on tape last Saturday.
(….)
The man he allegedly killed was Aaron J. Danielson, seen wearing a blue lives matter flag and reportedly a hat belonging to a right wing group.
(….)
Danielson was part of a group of 600 vehicles that caravanned through Portland last Saturday. A group which had been clashing with Antifa elements.
Immediately following ABC’s report, Gutman goes on to paint a sympathetic picture of Portland rioters. Reporting from the ground last night, the reporter complained police “pounced” on the “peaceful” protesters. He added:
Now, all of this sets the stage for a potentially explosive weekend here. BLM and Antifa activists marking 100 days of continuous demonstrations and right wing and pro-Trump activists will be marking a week since the killing of Jay Danielson, all of them concentrated right here in Portland. Police officials tell me they are bracing for potential bloodshed.
In the 8:00 a.m. Eastern hour, Gutman swapped out “right wing” for “white nationalists.”
CBS This Morning was the only network to call Reinoehl a “left-leaning suspect.” Although they used stronger language to describe Danielson (“ultra conservative”) they also were the only network to play a short soundbite from his friend defending Danielson to somewhat balance out all the soundbites from Reinoehl.
The media has been quick to defend Antifa and Black Lives Matter violence all the while conveniently leaving out their radical politics.
If you don’t like how ABC covers for violent activists and murderers, you can tell ABC’s advertisers like Volkswagen here.
LifeNews Note: Kristine Marsh is Staff Writer for MRC Culture at the Media Research Center where this originally appeared.
