We Are at War. Is the Media Scared to Really Cover It?

Posted by Erick Erickson
Monday, March 5th

RED STATE:

Journalists are much more tolerant of attacks on Christianity than Islam. It is a fact.

ABC is airing a television show called “Good Christian Bitches.” Never mind the outrage over the recent Sandra Fluke business, but there is a double standard. And let’s not fool ourselves as the media would never tolerate a story where “Muslim” was substituted for “Christian” in that show.

The media’s present politically correct excuse is that Islam binds certain minority group’s cultures in a way Christianity does not. First, that is crap and speaks of a secular ignorance about many Christian communities even in this country. Second, it is an excuse so the media does not have to admit it is scared of muslims. You’ll see a news story about Christ in a jar of urine, but don’t ever expect to see a cartoon of Mohammed on the nightly news. The reporter doesn’t want to get murdered.

I am starting to wonder if the same holds true in the present war our country finds itself in that too few reporters are really brave enough to cover. We are at war on our southern border with Mexico and the press is really not doing justice to coverage of the war.

The latest story points out just how much of a war it is and just how badly our government and Mexico are handling themselves.

A Mexican drug leader. Oscar “El Apache” Castillo Flores, was released by the United States back to Mexico and immediately set about reacquiring power and killing people. He eventually is gunned down himself. His death happened this past week.

In September of 2011, Oscar’s brother Omar was gunned down in Texas. About the same time, someone kidnapped his wife from a Walmart in Brownsville, TX. These events rarely make national headlines.

More and more, the Mexican drug war is spilling over into the United States. American citizens are getting killed. Border agents are getting killed. Random citizens are being kidnapped. Mexico is less and less safe.

And the media rarely reports the extent of the violence or that it is spilling over into the United States. These are not acts of crime so much as acts of terror. They are escalating. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have a plan to help Mexico in this war.

Look again at the article. It has no author. Why? Because the reporter is in danger of losing his life. He must be kept anonymous. But this local reporter is willing to report and keep reporting. It is not something national reporters have yet started doing. I wonder if they are scared or just do not get how bad it is and will become.

The only other very obvious explanation is that this war does not fit into some sort of media narrative to make it newsworthy. It’s Mexicans killing Mexicans and the occasional Texan. Surely that’s not why the media is ignoring it. Do they not care about Mexicans and Texans?