Op-Ed: Neither the Media Nor the Electoral College Calls Races -- the GSA Does & They've Been Silent
I was hopeful that the mainstream media couldn’t sink lower than the night of Oct. 16, 2016.
That’s when CNNs Chris Cuomo was discussing some of the emails hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta.
Prior to delving into the content of the emails, Cuomo sternly reminded us that “it’s illegal to possess these stolen documents. It’s different for the media, so everything you learn about this, you’re learning from us.”
At the time I was shocked at Cuomo’s insulting claim, as if he were scolding us like children who were misbehaving.
But Cuomo’s ill-advised statement shed light on one of the main reasons why trust in the media is on shaky ground. First, he lied about it being illegal to possess the “stolen documents.”
Second, it isn’t different for the media. The media doesn’t have any special legal protections in this regard, mainly because none are needed.
Lastly, Cuomo insinuated that we are helpless without the media, implying that we need talking heads like him to tell us what we should know and what we should believe.
Yes, Cuomo’s self-aggrandizing statement was bad, but the mainstream media continued to lower the bar routinely, and willingly, over the next four years.
And they did it with one single intent: To disparage President Donald Trump and everyone who supported him.
The mainstream media became predictable with their attacks after Trump took office, ramping up the rhetoric every time he achieved something positive for the American people.
You knew Trump was winning when the media pundits began spinning and slinging in an attempt to downplay Trump’s accomplishments.
With the disgusting trend firmly established, I wasn’t surprised when the lies from the mainstream media kicked into overdrive before and after the 2020 general election, which has yet to be officially decided.
Still, I was a bit shocked to see the bar drop even lower.
In a Nov. 2 piece recounting the longstanding role of The Associated Press in determining winners of presidential elections, New York Times reporter Katie Robertson wrote “In the United States — which, unlike many other countries, does not have a national electoral commission — the news media takes the role of race-caller in presidential elections.”
According to who?
Robertson conveniently left out that it’s not the self-anointed media experts who call elections, but rather the General Services Administration, which issues a letter of determination in a race.
So far, the GSA hasn’t done that, regardless of what the media “race-callers” dictate.
Interestingly, Robertson’s article included commentary from Sally Buzbee, executive editor for The Associated Press, who actually explained in clear detail why it’s premature and disingenuous for anyone in the media to declare Joe Biden the victor right now.
In Buzbee’s own words, per Robertson’s story, “If there’s no way for the trailing candidate to catch up, no legal way, no mathematical way, then the race is decided, essentially.
“And if there is any uncertainty, or if there are enough votes out to change the result, then we don’t call the race.”
Considering the Trump campaign possesses numerous affidavits alleging voter fraud and has filed lawsuits challenging the ballot counting process, I think there’s more than enough uncertainty to refrain from calling the race.
In fact, Trump’s legal team scored a big victory on Nov. 12 when a Pennsylvania judge issued a ruling that segregated mail-in ballots should not be counted and the Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, lacked authority to override election law.
Regardless, the mainstream media continues to play cover-up for Biden’s questionable election win, bombarding readers with stories about how there was no election fraud while shunning opposite claims made by Trump’s side.
The blatant attempt to discredit arguments made by Trump allies has even come from one of the few media sources that treated the president somewhat fairly over the years – Fox News.
Specifically, anchor Neil Cavuto, who inexplicably broke in on press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s news conference when she said every illegal vote should be discarded.
Cavuto said unless McEnany has details to back up claims of illegal voting, “I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this.”
He took a page right from Cuomo circa 2016. Cavuto felt it was more important to interpret McEnany’s words for us rather than let us decide for ourselves.
Shut up and obey.
Unfortunately for the mainstream media, I think their current war against Trump’s election challenge may be exposing a dark secret.
When media outlets launch desperate attempts to validate their role in the election process, convince us there was no fraud regardless of the evidence and abruptly silence Trump administration officials as they are outlining a credible case, it tells me they’re worried.
Perhaps Trump is on to something here and the election was indeed rigged.
Could that be why the mainstream media wants to silence any dissent and fast-track Biden to the White House?
We’ll have more answers over the next few weeks, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the mainstream outlets continue to lower the bar if the evidence doesn’t fit their narrative.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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