Blog: Charlotte Rioters: Stop Being Clickbait
RIOT: a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons; violent or wild disorder or confusion; a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a disrupting and tumultuous manner.
PROTEST: an expression or declaration of objection, disapproval, or dissent, often in opposition to something a person is powerless to prevent or avoid.
CLICKBAIT: a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the Internet designed to entice people to follow a link to an article on another Web page.
I can’t say that NBC pioneered the idea, but they are the earliest example I can think of. When they carefully edited the available evidence and audio recordings in the Zimmerman/Martin conflict to show it as “armed white man kills innocent black youth,” they created the very news story that would generate them advertising revenue for years to come. Let’s be clear about this though: they threw anything resembling journalistic integrity out the window; they intentionally and completely LIED to the television watching public to create a sensationalized narrative about an event that should never have been the national news that it became as a result of their carefully crafted efforts.
When Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer acting in self-defense, the mainstream media – having learned so well with their success in the Zimmerman/Martin event – did it again in a big way. Their obvious intention was to create a story that the public would closely follow, thereby generating higher ratings and better advertising revenue for the television stations being watched. But in this instance, the mainstream media got more than it could have ever hoped for: riots, destruction, more violence, death and the creation of a new political organization – Black Lives Matter.
When Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore, the anti-police political agenda was in full swing almost immediately. Command rank staff in a sheriff’s office, the city’s Attorney General and others colluded to charge six officers with crimes for which there was no evidence. The trials held that out again and again until finally the Baltimore AG had to drop the remaining charges against the officers who hadn’t seen trial yet. All six of those officers filed a lawsuit against the AG and the city. Why aren’t we seeing national news reports about that? Two reasons: First, it isn’t violent and disruptive. It doesn’t garner attention like a riot. Second, if the lawsuit shows negligence, liability, or corruption in practice on the part of any of the defendants, that would hurt the mainstream narrative. That would negatively impact the “news” organizations’ ability to sensationalize any event and create their own news followings.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, as I type this, a state of emergency has been declared and the National Guard activated. RIOTS have occurred for the last two nights and, just last night, the CRIMINALS involved in those RIOTS began randomly attacking bystanders, assaulting them and attempting to MURDER them. I’m sure the “journalists” in the mainstream media “news” outlets are giggling and toasting themselves with glasses of bubbly as Charlotte burns and people suffer. They’ve been successful once again. A police shooting – albeit of questionable motivation at the beginning, but now more clearly justified – was twisted and “reported” before ANY factual investigation had been released and now the MSM “news” outlets get to report on riots, a state of emergency and National Guard deployments.
The public is being duped into becoming news; a plethora of idiots are committing crimes and taking great delight in doing so, feeling fully justified because some moron behind a fake desk, in front of a television camera, making well into six figures as a salary told them it was okay. These same MSM idiots (reporters) are making bank as they modify facts, or simply lie, and create situations they can further report on for days if not weeks and months. Hell, George Zimmerman is STILL in the news on occasion simply because NBC lied about him and made him famous.
What amazes me, and it’s something I’ll never understand: Those involved in the riots demanding “equal rights” or “equal protections” have been fed a load of crap by these MSM idiots. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. protested for equal rights. He moved this country a LONG way in the 1960s and made people realize just how wrong it was to judge someone by the color of their skin or to treat people differently based on the same justification. He is revered as a civil rights leader and rightly so. Now, over fifty years later, after almost eight years of our country having its first “black” president, the civil rights movement is actually moving in reverse. Non-Caucasian students are protesting in favor of segregation. They are demanding to be treated different. They are convinced there is benefit in the exact same things MLK Jr. protested against and the entire country believed to be prejudicial and wrong. Who or what has convinced black people today… the ones that are out there rioting… that life was better in the 1960s? That prejudicial treatment, segregation and separation based on the color of their skin is BETTER?
Once again I see riots in the streets of an American city; violence, looting, burning, people being hurt, and for what? SO THE ‘NEWS’ SHOWS CAN MAKE MORE MONEY. So social media can fill with clickbait and the very people most likely to be injured or harmed embrace the very behavior that MLK Jr. said “his people” were wrongfully accused of.
I sit and type, shaking my head. I pray for everyone in Charlotte, but – I admit – I pray strongest and loudest for my brothers and sisters who wear a badge. I pray loudest for the National Guard troops. I pray for their protection and safety. For the rioters? I pray they grow some common sense and see that they are being used. Unfortunately, I don’t have much hope that my prayer on that score will be answered.
Lt. Frank Borelli (ret), Editorial Director | Editorial Director
Lt. Frank Borelli is the Editorial Director for the Officer Media Group. Frank brings 20+ years of writing and editing experience in addition to 40 years of law enforcement operations, administration and training experience to the team.
Frank has had numerous books published which are available on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, and other major retail outlets.
If you have any comments or questions, you can contact him via email at [email protected].