Trial By Media
During the entire ABC network coverage of the special election returns in Alabama, there were many interviews and numerous commentaries on the event. In all that transpired, however, I did not hear, even ONCE, anyone mention that the accusations leveled at Roy Moore were never proven, or even tested in any significant way. Some said they thought he was guilty and some said he wasn’t. What NO one said, however, was that we really don’t KNOW one way or the other. Evidence was not vetted (the authenticity of the famous year book, for example, was never proven), the accusers credibility was never established (Corfman’s own stepson claimed she was an inveterate lier), the accuser’s testimony wasn’t questioned (there were NUMEROUS inconsistencies, for example, in Corfman’s story) and Moore wasn’t given any real chance to defend himself. He could deny the accusations, but not defend against them.
Moore, a staunch conservative, was, as Hillary put it, in the “basket of deplorables”. He was, therefore, a prime target. And so was the Senate Republican majority. The motivation by liberals in the media to oppose Moore was VERY strong. Accordingly, several strategies were used by these media vigilantes to take him out.
The first strategy was clever exaggeration. The media relentlessly maintained, for example, that EIGHT women were accusing Moore. While it is true that eight women spoke up about Moore, the media neglected to mention that of the eight, only two accused him of anything that would be, strictly speaking, illegal.
Another important strategy was to pile up unproven rumor and innuendo. Moore’s being “banned” from the Gadsden Mall as a “predator”, for example, was NEVER PROVEN or even formally attested to, for that matter, and a mall manager disputed the claim. Yet the rumors continued right up to election day.
And yet another important strategy was to analyze the situation using “loaded” questions. A loaded questions has no response that’s not incriminating. The classic example of this is the age old query: “Do you still beat your wife?” When the media sources questioned senators, congressmen and even people on the street, if the interviewee said anything supportive of Moore, the immediate response was: “So you think ALL of the women are LIARS?” The proper response to that question should have been: “I think the accusations against Mr. Moore have not been vetted in due process to a standard that would justify conclusions, at this time, against Mr. Moore.” Either no one, at the spur of the moment, thought of that response, or clips of that type of response were not shown.
And, ladies and gentlemen, these various strategies WORKED! The Constitutionally protected “presumption of innocence” was ignored, and “TRIAL BY MEDIA” held sway. This trend should be worrisome for ALL Americans.