Media Biases

Last week, a tragedy occurred in Arizona that has shook the entire nation as a whole. As many of you know, U.S. House Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot at point-blank range in an assassination attempt during a informational event in Tuscon. The suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, killed six others and injured twelve more besides Giffords in his gun rampage. This event, without a doubt, has stunned America as a whole in many different ways.

What has disturbed me is the media speculation that has surrounded this horrifying event. While these last few days should be ones of mourning and sorrow for the families that have been directly affected by it, the media has immediately jumped to conclusions. Already, the media claims that politics have a central focus in this event. Many sources, including high-ranking news outlets such as the New York Times, have put blame on conservatives for Loughner's actions. Some of their opinions include that Republicans are the sole reason for partisan rhetoric, that Loughner was a direct follower of Sarah Palin's website, which included an image of Giffords' district in the crosshairs, and the simple act of presenting Loughner to "resemble" right-wing talk show host Glenn Beck.

This is really awful on so many degrees. I believe that once these media outlets look into Loughner's background and the evidence against him, they will realize that conservatives are no more to blame than liberals. In fact, as it appears, Loughner had dropped out of both his high school and community college, a drug addict, and a firm believer in radical conspiracy theories. His favorite books, as stated on his MySpace page, include Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto. I firmly believe that as this evidence surfaces and becomes clearer and as common sense takes over liberal biases, the media will realize that Loughner is a mentally unstable and is insane. To make it more clear, Loughner has stated in the past that he neither sides with the Republicans or the Democrats; he is a registered independent.

I pray the media will realize their mistakes and apologize for their accusations. It is clear that while political partisanship might be involved, Republicans are in no way, shape, or form involved in this crises. As President Obama would say, “it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.” As Americans, we should realize that this is a healing process and not a string of hate. This horrible disaster is only one that“lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind" and not any other groups'.