2020 has been a busy year for everyone – especially the news.
That means Accuracy in Media has been working hard to blow the whistle on corrupt media and hold journalists accountable for misleading and flat out lying to their readers.
Below is AIM’s list of the very most egregious examples of the politicization of American culture this year.
Sports: ESPN’s Max Kellerman tells his audience that “extremist right-wing agitators” are responsible for the riots around America.
It’s bad enough that sports have become so political, but shouldn’t Kellerman at least be accurate?
Language: Oxford redefines “riot”
All summer the mainstream media covered the “fiery but peaceful” protests…and refused to refer to them as riots. The Oxford English Dictionary decided to provide them with some cover by literally redefining the word!
Health: Mainstream media and Democrats politicize COVID-19, vaccine development
The mainstream media spent all spring terrifying Americans about the danger of COVID-19. Then once a vaccine appeared, journalists and their allies in government did their best to sow fear in this medical miracle. Quite simply, they put “clicks” before human lives.
Philanthropy: NBC blasts Christian group that set up field hospital in Central Park
When Samaritan’s Purse set up a COVID field hospital in Central Park it was an excellent act of generosity during difficult times. Naturally, NBC continued to promote division by attacking the church group for primarily hiring Christians.
Public Funds: Media requests federal bailout
The media made a serious attempt to destroy themselves by lobbying Congress for a dedicated bailout. Who could possibly take federally-funded journalists seriously?
Entertainment: Hollywood celebrities donate millions to bail out rioters in Minneapolis
As Americans watched businesses being burned to the ground in Minneapolis, Hollywood celebrities poured gasoline on the fire by making six-figure donations to the charities that bailed these criminals out of jail.
Comedy: Stephen Colbert fawns over Barack Obama
Remember when comedians were equal-opportunity offenders? Stephen Colbert jumped the comedic shark when he did an interview fawning over President Barack Obama. There’s nothing funny about a sycophantic late-night host.
Teachers’ unions consistently remind us that politics come first, and children come last. This year they’ve shaken down school districts with laundry lists of demands that must be met in order for them to come back to work. Perhaps none, however, was worse than the Chicago Teachers Union, which claimed the push to reopen schools was rooted in racism and sexism.
Photojournalism: NPR gets called out for misleading photo in article on white supremacy
NPR engaged in taxpayer-funded propaganda earlier this year with an incredibly misleading photo. A female motorist was being accosted by protestors and NPR labeled her a white supremacist. A more accurate description of her would be “victim.” To their credit, NPR eventually changed the photo.
Worst in Journalism 2020: BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed’s lowlight was running a story titled “Man Dies After Ingesting Drug Recommended By Trump.” Trump was recommending hydroxychloroquine, which at the time was showing promise in treating COVID patients. The man consumed aquarium cleaner, and his wife later became a murder suspect after it was discovered that she encouraged him to do so. If hydroxychloroquine did indeed turn out to be a wonder drug, how many BuzzFeed readers would’ve refused to take it because of the libelous headline.
Comments
Comments are turned off for this article.