If you’re someone who closely follows mass shootings in America, then you might have noticed a strange phenomenon over the last two weeks. Nearly identical articles began popping up from the same two reporters over at USA Today, with variations on this headline: “Mass shootings surge in Tennessee as nation faces record high.”
The articles can be found for states such as Florida, Wisconsin, South Carolina, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The content of each article is eerily similar as though copied and pasted, then filled in with each state’s specific death data and relevant information.
What’s also strange is the fact that the articles all go on to contradict themselves by quoting James Alan Fox, a criminologist with Northeastern University. Fox claims that mass shootings are actually not surging as the headlines claim. In fact, we’re seeing a dip in mass shootings this year. According to the articles, “About the dip in mass killings becoming permanent,’ [Fox] said, ‘I’m somewhat hopeful.'”
Fox, who also oversees the Mass Killings Database, told Reason in 2019, “There is no evidence that we’re in the midst of an epidemic of mass shootings.”
So why is USA Today now trotting out Fox in a series of nearly-identical articles that seek to prove the exact opposite?
One theory is timing. These articles all appeared in the lead-up to Democrats announcing a big move on gun control. On Thursday, the House passed sweeping legislation that would expand background checks on all gun sales.
According to CNN, the bills “will face a steep uphill climb in the Senate as Democrats hold a slim 50-50 majority and would need significant Republican support to overcome a legislative filibuster. Still, the legislation remains a priority for the Biden administration.”
Since the gun control debate has taken a back seat during the COVID-19 pandemic, that steep uphill climb might prove easier if Democrats had a good narrative to help them along.
Is USA Today pushing mass shooting propaganda in an effort to help Democrats pass sweeping gun control legislation? If so, then that’s not journalism, it’s activism,
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The “mass shooting propaganda” of the Hitlerites / communists / Fake News, to take our Second Amendment rights away from us.
I often remarked about how, cause of covid we’ve not SEEN any mass shootings. and Low and behold, here’s some…
attacking the capitol was a farce and a waste of time.
but the news media and universities should be cleaned out.
i for one would like to see a set of statistics that compares shootings by registered weapons vs shootings from unregistered weapons. you can even throw in the mass shootings with the registered count. My guess is the balance would not even be close. Go after illegal guns, not legally registered ones…but that does not fit the narrative nor does it disarm the population which is the real goal of these liberal communists clowns.
NO ONE in any position of authority, would DARE do that, as it would give WEIGHT to say their rhetoric is flawed.. Hence why truths like this, WILL NEVER come out.
Taking away the gun rights from law abiding Americans will not end in a good way for those who have chosen to destroy what 100’s of thousands of service men and women have died for. Drugs are illegal and how did that go for the government rule makers who just knew if would stop drug usage.
The Liberal media spreading propaganda ? Say it ain’t so.
Yea. EVen over on CNN’s site, where they got articles on that Asian massage parlor shooting in Georgia. Darn near every comment i’ve read says “SO WHY IS IT if a bunch of blacks are doing the shootings, EVEN IF They do mention race, its always NEAR THE END of the article. BUT the instant it’s a white guy doing the crime, THAT IS THE FIRST bloody thing they mention…
The number of people killed by crazed mass murderers pales in comparison to the lives saved by good people with guns defending themselves and others.
“Gun control” is far more to do with control than guns.
There is no exception the the Second Amendment during Democrat administrations. It still says “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
THE LEFT cares not what our constitution says.. ALWAYS HAVE been that way, always will be.