And speaking of the press and retractions…
Here’s an interesting video that was brought to my attention by commenter “DNW”:
I wasn’t previously familiar with Ana Kasparian, the woman speaking in the video, but
Anahit Misak “Ana” Kasparian; born July 7, 1986, is an American progressive political commentator, media host, university instructor, and journalist. She is the main host and a producer of the online news show The Young Turks, having begun working as a fill-in producer for the show in 2007. She also appeared on the television version of the show that aired on Current TV. She formerly hosted The Point on the TYT Network and currently co-hosts a Jacobin YouTube show, Weekends with Ana Kasparian and Nando Vila.
The clip is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. The first is that she is admitting that until now – which is well over a year after the events in question, events that have been discussed and analyzed incessantly and for which much accessible video has existed almost from the start – she didn’t know one of the most basic facts of the case, which is that Rosenbaum (who was killed by Rittenhouse) was chasing Rittenhouse and not the other way around.
So we see that this journalist and journalism teacher either did not bother to learn a thing about the high-profile case, or perhaps she is lying and knew it all the time. Take your pick.
Do I give her points for admitting it now? I suppose I could, because in the current climate that’s actually unusual for a leftist journalist even when the truth is staring that person right in the eye. I don’t know whether she went on to indicate she’s re-thinking the entire case, but it’s only if her recantation was sincere that I will give her any credit at all, and then only a smidge. That is because of a phenomenon nicely wrapped up by a commenter to that YouTube video:
They knew all along they are just scared of a civil lawsuit.
A la Nick Sandmann, who successfully sued the media for defamation and got a hefty settlement.
No mercy if you’re a journalist and your JOB is to look at all the facts.
If that’s not your job then it’s not your fault that your news sources suck BUT at a certain point it’s your duty as a human to recognize that you’re being fed propaganda and look for better news sources so you know what’s actually going on in the world.
Ok, I admit, I did not watch the video you linked to. But does she even realize the men that were shot had criminal or arrest histories? Does even 1 out of 100 consumers of mainstream news even know this?
The one curiosity (in light of the history of the Ottoman Empire and of the political movement of the same name) of the odious and laughably uninformed Young Turks is that the two principals are Kasparian, of Armenian descent, and Uygur, of Turkish descent, united only by their pernicious and toxic ideology. This case, which should never have been brought to trial, has caused many a lunatic to emerge into public attention, including a deranged lawyer from NYC named Howard Altman, whom Lauren Chen found on Twitter accusing KKKyle (Altman’s term) of being an “anti-semitic mass murderer” because, according to Altman, the two men killed were, perhaps, Jewish, not that anyone, including this poor innocent young man, could have known that.
No journalist should be that uninformed on something they opine on over and over. It is fine is someone just doesn’t care about informing themselves of significant events- there are lots of things happening that I don’t inform myself on simply because there are only so many hours in a day and my life, but I also don’t offer opinions on them, much less over and over.
So we see that this journalist and journalism teacher either did not bother to learn a thing about the high-profile case, or perhaps she is lying and knew it all the time. Take your pick.
Once again it’s the eternal question of this blog, a fool or a knave… or some combination of both. And which is worse? Presumably being a fool is more curable than being a knave.
I personally believe that when we’re discussing the greater population, generally there are far more fools than knaves, but there are far too many knaves in positions of power and influence these days. And unfortunately our culture often rewards both foolishness and knavery, in particular in the media and on social media. There’s very little quarter given for reasoned thinking these days. And few people are willing to even admit when they’re wrong. So I guess that’s something in this person’s case.
j e:
People may have concluded the victim Rosenbaum was Jewish because of the name, but I’ve seen no evidence that he was. Like many supposedly “Jewish” names, Rosenbaum is also a German name that is not exclusively Jewish.
Much ado about what isn’t said… imo.
The fact of overhead surveillance / coordination (?) by Feds could indicate their ”assets” may have been among those injured. Didn’t the prosecution tell them not to use the search warrant they had for the wounded person’s phone?
I had heard the Czar’s agents forced Jews to take names which were demeaning.This is “red tree”. It’s in German but not, strictly speaking, a German name.
Does “goldblum” mean “gold blossom” or some such?
Point is, at some distant generation, an ancestor may have had to accede to a
Czar’s agent. May not be Jewish now, but the way to bet is likely in the past.
And why German? Some borderland issue?
Perhaps the Sandmann case is paying off in other ways besides money. And since it worked–obviously and likely prodigiously–others may be encouraged to an extent not seen before.
I had heard the Czar’s agents forced Jews to take names which were demeaning.
Richard Aubrey:
I had a college friend whose last name was Tarakan. Which sounds pleasantly exotic to this American. However, she explained she was Russian Jewish and Tarakan is Russian for cockroach.
cb brings up an interesting point. Why was there FBI surveillance video at the Kenosha riots?
There was a top ranking Nazi under Hitler named Rosenberg. My guess not Jewish. Then there are the two Paul Simons, the musician (Jewish) and the US Senator (not Jewish).
If the Rittenhouse trial ends in a not guilty verdict, it’s not enough that the media will have to fork over millions of dollars in civil suits.
The actual personages who trashed Rittenhouse’s reputation will suffer little to no personal consequence, as the media corporations will pay out those millions to Rittenhouse out of pocket change.
What needs to start happening is that the media mouthpieces, the producers, editors and the CEOs of the parent corporations face charges of “Criminal Negligence” in similar cases.
Arguably that charge fits; “The failure to use reasonable care to avoid consequences that threaten or harm the safety of the public and that are the foreseeable outcome of acting in a particular manner.”
It ‘fits’ because the “public” is made up of individuals. If harm comes to the public, it consists of harm done to individuals.
By no calculus can it be claimed that the media used “reasonable care” in avoiding “a foreseeable outcome” in creating a threat of harm to Kyle Rittenhouse. A threat that will not end, whatever the outcome of this trial.
There must be accountability and personal consequence for those in the media, when they engage in criminal negligence.
huxley.
Wasn’t there a toast? “Long live the Czar. Death to the Jews”
The murderous media…whose “version of events” is utterly obscene:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/as-the-rittenhouse-trial-goes-wrong-media-retreat-to-an-alternate-universe
…but what else is new?
Wasn’t there a toast? “Long live the Czar. Death to the Jews”
Richard Aubrey:
Could be. “Pogrom” is one of the few English words which came straight from Russian.
@RA:
Those funny Germanic Jewish surnames mostly come from the Prussian annexation during the Second Partition of Poland when all the new grist to the taxation mill got added to the census records and were mandated for record-keeping simplicity fixed as opposed to the patronymic surnames of yore.
The Prussian Civil Service, whilst very efficient, was not entirely without whimsy and E T A Hoffmann of all people and amongst others supposedly got to exercise his creative instincts in the Fischbein, Finkelstein, Goldblatt, etc. departments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._A._Hoffmann
TYT is just propaganda all the time.
As with all these stories they do not want to know the truth of what happens they want to create the truth to fit the larger story they want to tell.
Barry Meislin,
They are knowingly bearing false witness. In embracing evil, they have corrupted their souls. Undeserving of pity for they revel in their corruption of truth. And when they are held to account, they will beg for mercy as evil always does, while still secretly scorning their victims.
Martin,
They know the truth, it simply doesn’t fit the narrative. Knowing what part of the truth not to include is necessary for the lies to be effective.
Ana as a journalist – so called – has no excuse for her ignorance.
But this is what passes as “news” on the left.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/kenosha-suspect-kyle-rittenhouse-trump-rally