New York Times determined to find political balance in shootings, even if means reviving old lie

Politics can get ugly, as if anyone in 2017 needed proof. If the media had any self-awareness, they might realize the reason people aren’t taking pity on them recently is they don’t seem to remember just how complicit they were in bringing things to a crisis point.

Looking back, the fuss over the rise of “violent rhetoric” in politics would seem almost quaint if journalists and political opponents hadn’t tried to tie Sarah Palin to the shooting of Gabby Giffords over some stupid graphics on an electoral map.

The New York Times editorial from TODAY takes time to blame Palin for Giffords. Jesus Christ. https://t.co/bk3iFN8Mf4

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 15, 2017

Palin might as well sue for defamation. At this point, knowing what we know, this is actual malice. https://t.co/S0uAbJkeeQ

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) June 15, 2017

That whole mess was debunked, but in trying to cover all bases Wednesday night, the New York Times really, really needed some balance for its editorial on the Alexandria shooting. Vox’s Ezra Klein had done a test run earlier in the day and it seemed to fly with some, so why not?

Unbelievable. The Times is still peddling this despicable lie. https://t.co/TyGFopPt6m pic.twitter.com/2wibKRbmnQ

— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) June 15, 2017

https://twitter.com/AgeOfKEK/status/875184942216597504

The link to political incitement was clear? Are they seriously reviving that myth to “balance out” the piece?

This paragraph in today's NYT editorial on Alexandria shootings is offensively, quasi-Stalinistically wrong: https://t.co/nWhhcHfMso pic.twitter.com/LkJFifUh73

— The Nats Won The World Series (@EsotericCD) June 15, 2017

But tell us again about this rage that’s, um, “buried” among the progressive left? Because the giant fire set in the middle of the Berkeley campus vandalized by leftists was pretty darn visible. And the riots in Portland right after the election were pretty easy to spot, especially if a progressive leftist had smashed out your windshield. And if you missed the first Portland riots, you just had to wait a bit for another to come along.

And that doesn’t even count the fights and sucker punches and vandalism and riots outside of Trump’s campaign rallies in Albuquerque and San José.

They lost an election.. So they torched cars, torched buildings, smashed windows, stabbed people on trains and shot at GOP reps.

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) June 15, 2017

I don't care bringing all this up that this makes me a cynical partisan, these are all facts.

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) June 15, 2017

Your reward for not politicizing? A giant fuck you in the face from the editorial board at the New York Times.

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) June 15, 2017

And by this time next week, the GOP will be back to killing the planet, killing children, killing the water and air & killing gays.

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) June 15, 2017

Do better, New York Times. Dragging out old lies to provide political balance isn’t solving anything except your need to sound sincere to your readership right now.

Let’s see if the Washington Post is doing any better.

Opinion: The baseball shooting wasn’t an attack on the GOP. It was an attack on all of us. https://t.co/g1akRLolGe

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 14, 2017

Nope.