S4 E26 - Media Lies and the Manhattan Shooting

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The script critiques how media outlets like CNN and ABC misrepresent gun violence incidents to fit specific narratives. It highlights inconsistencies in reporting, such as labeling incidents as 'mass shootings' without proper context, overlooking incidents prevented by armed civilians, and focusing on guns over other forms of violence. The script argues that media and authorities often ignore the complexities of such events, including the attacker's motives and other types of violent incidents, to push certain agendas. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of self-defense and the right to bear arms.

Commentary on trending issues brought to you with a moderate perspective.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
"mass shooting" number 245 thisyear, brought to you by CNN, the
Gun Violence Archive, and atotal lack of self-awareness.
Random targeted, doesn't matterif it bleeds, it's a stat unless
it doesn't fit the narrative.
This is Today's"mass shooting"The July 28th, 2025 mass attack,

(00:35):
if that's what it was in NewYork City, was a horrific
tragedy.
But the real story here isn'tjust about the crime, it's about
how quickly the media put itthrough the narrative meat
grinder.
So today we bring you how tomangle a story in five easy
institutions plus a bonus roundwhat they don't want you to

(00:57):
connect and why.
CNN jumped in headfirst with adouble feature of bad reporting.
First they labeled the incident"mass shooting" number 245
according to the Gun ViolenceArchive, the same database that
includes parking lot argumentsand gang shootouts as"mass
shooting"s.

(01:18):
It is like using calipers tomeasure rainfall.
Not useful, but it gives theillusion of precision.
Apparently, CNN has not gottenthe word that media outlets,
even the most liberal ones,don't take the Gun Violence
Archive seriously anymore.
Then CNN before knowing anythingabout the attacker suggested

(01:38):
that wait for it.
He might be white.
Of course, because when indoubt, blame the usual suspects.
Turns out he was black.
But don't expect a correction.
CNN's model might as well beassume first, clarify never.
Next we'll have our chartermember of the Don't Say Stabbing

(02:00):
club.
ABC's Good Morning America FirstLook.
They gave us the linguisticgymnastics routine of the week.
On July 29th they used thephrase"mass shooting" at least
six times.
Well, give or take, in thenarration, the captions, and the
crawler, but in the very samesegment, they reported on the
Traverse City, Michigan stabbinga true random mass attack and

(02:24):
never once called it a massstabbing.
Not once.
Why?
Well, because the term doesn'tmove legislation only guns do.
And it's not just bias, it'smanufactured framing.
Both attacks were or might havebeen random, we'll have to look
at the second one.
Both harmed multiple people.

(02:46):
If these were both randomattacks, then why would they not
draw the connection?
Well, because only one getsthese scarlet S for shooting.
Next we have the NYPD PoliceCommissioner, and it's not an
M-4, Ma'am.
The police commissioner steppedin with this one gem.
The attacker used an M-4 rifle.

(03:07):
That's a military issuedselective fire, fully automatic
weapon, not sold to civilians.
What the shooter likely had wasan AR 15 variant, which, let's
be honest, the media calls anassault weapon regardless of
what it actually is.
But isn't it interesting thateven with this so-called weapon

(03:29):
of war, the shooter didn't spraybullets or mow down crowds as
the anti-gun press likes tofantasize?
He didn't take advantage of itsincredible power.
Its rapid reloads or its highcapacity magazines.
Instead, he shot the people hecame for then stopped.

(03:51):
He didn't maximize thefirepower.
He did exactly what he came todo.
Now that is just like theMangione attacker who traveled
across the country to shoot ahealthcare executive.
Which is not random, which ismission oriented.
So if the press is going to drawcomparisons, it should be to
other targeted attacks, not justwhatever shooting fills the

(04:13):
quota for the day.
Mangione and this guy, bothtargeted corporations in New
York City, regardless of thenumber of victims.
It's almost a copycat.
Then there's Eric Adams blamingguns.
Mayor Eric Adams wasted no timeblaming the easy availability of
guns.

(04:34):
Classic deflection.
But guns are already virtuallybanned in New York City.
And here's what else he didn'tmention.
The many Times Square stabbings,the U-Haul vehicle ramming
attacks of 2017 and 2023, thewoman set on fire in the subway,
the NYPD machete ambush, anddozens of random slashings in

(04:59):
just the past year, as we'vesaid.
Nope.
None of that counts becausethere wasn't a gun involved, and
the gun laws were of no help.
When trying to explain the NewYork attack, the media and the
authorities ignored modality,motive, and location, and
instead latched onto anothershooting in Las Vegas the same

(05:22):
day.
Was it random?
Unclear.
Was it in any way connected?
Nope.
But hey, it was a gun, so goodenough.
Let's talk about the forgottenheroes, forgotten because they
had guns.
It makes two attacks this summerthat were stopped by armed

(05:43):
civilians.
The church shooting in southeastMichigan on June 22nd, and this
Traverse City stabbing on July28th.
Both of these would've been masskillings, but they were stopped
cold, and here's something tothink about.
They're not in the Gun ViolenceArchive because they weren't

(06:05):
"mass shooting"s.
Both were actual mass attacks,but both were stopped by a man
with a gun.
So neither attacker succeeded.
Not only were they not massmurders, in fact, no one died in
either attack.
They were mass attacks.
They were not mass murders or"mass shooting"s, so, they don't

(06:28):
go into the liar's databasequoted by CNN, and that's how
the data game works.
If it doesn't advance thenarrative, it doesn't get
counted.
If a gun stops violence, delete.
If a gun saves lives, ignore.
These are lives saved and theydon't count.
Because the media do not trackprevention.

(06:50):
Only tragedy.
Let's talk about the patternthey don't want you to see.
The real pattern isn't guns,it's random violence, mentally
ill attackers and defenselessvictims.
When you strip away theheadlines, the tickers, the
shrill voiceovers, what do yousee?
You see victims who had nochance, cities that offer no

(07:13):
protection and media that offerno truth.
And worst of all the people whocould have saved themselves, if
only they had had the means.
But they were told not to, theywere told it wasn't necessary.
They were told the governmentwould protect them.
But they were told wrong.
You don't have to make the samemistake.

(07:35):
You have the right to own afirearm and to use it in order
to protect yourself.
Now look, we don't claim to haveevery fact.
New details are always comingout, but we'll say this.
At least we're not pretending toknow everything while
deliberately spreading lies.
Can CNN say the same?