The media’s disgraceful reporting of the Rittenhouse case.

CNN characterizes riots in Kenosha, WI as “mostly peaceful protests” even as fires set by rioters burn in the background.

As this column is being written, a jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin is deliberating the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse. The 18-year-old Rittenhouse faces five felony counts including intentional homicide and if convicted, could go to prison for the rest of his life.

The Rittenhouse case springs from riots in August of 2020 in Kenosha following the police shooting of a black man named Jacob Blake. If you rely on the coverage on most of the so-called “mainstream media” here is what you believe.

First, the shooting of Jacob Blake was the product of the racial animus of a white police officer toward a black suspect. Second, Kenosha, Wisconsin became the site of “mostly peaceful protests” as a result of the unjust nature of that shooting. Third, Kyle Rittenhouse is a white supremacist vigilante. Fourth, he has no connection to Kenosha and he illegally transported an “assault weapon” across state lines. And fifth, the “mostly peaceful” protesters in Kenosha included Black Lives Matter followers and racist Rittenhouse went there looking for a fight.

By making things up from whole cloth or, more insidiously, leaving out important details, the media created its own malignant narrative surrounding the Rittenhouse case.

But as Rittenhouse’s trial unfolded, that narrative fell apart.

Jacob Blake was shot by police because he threatened them with a knife after having similarly threatened his former girlfriend while trying to steal her car. Attempts to subdue Blake via non-lethal means had not been effective. At the time he was shot, Blake was wanted on a warrant for third degree sexual assault.

The “peaceful protests,” that followed the shooting of Blake were in fact riots that burned down dozens of buildings and did $50 million-plus in damage.

There has been exactly zero evidence presented that Rittenhouse has any connection to any white supremacist group. All three of the men he shot were white.

Rittenhouse lives with his mother in Antioch, Illinois, just across the state line 20 miles from Kenosha. Much of Rittenhouse’s family, including his father, lives in Kenosha and Rittenhouse has a job there. His AR-15 rifle stays at the home of a friend and his possession of it is completely legal in Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse was in Kenosha cleaning graffiti off of buildings and on the night of the shooting had been offering first aid to wounded protesters. He did have an AR-15 rifle with him, but rather than provoking violence, he was actually retreating and only fired his weapon when he was threatened with serious bodily harm, including having had a pistol leveled at him. (That bit of information actually came from a prosecution witness.)

All of this has come to light during the trial. The prosecution’s case against Rittenhouse fell apart in plain view as a result of the live TV coverage that the judge in the case permitted.

Yet, the media persists in its narrative that Rittenhouse is a racist murderer. They would let you believe that his victims are black. They’re not. All three are white.

They would let you believe that the “peaceful protests” in Kenosha were justified because of the wrongful actions of a racist white police officer, ignoring that Wisconsin state authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the officer in question of any wrongdoing.

They would also let you believe that the judge in the Rittenhouse trial, Bruce Schroeder, is a Trump-loving Republican who is doing all he can to tip the case against the prosecution. Schroeder is, in fact, a Democrat who was appointed to the bench by Democratic Wisconsin governor Tony Earl.

(And this just in: Judge Schroeder just banned MSNBC from the courthouse because MSNBC was caught following jurors in an apparent attempt to intimidate them by photographing them so as to publicize their identities.)

The media’s “reporting” of the Rittenhouse case is beyond disgraceful. The jury hasn’t rendered a verdict, but the media did long before the trial even began. The media has now abandoned even the pretense of objectivity and reportorial integrity in favor of advancing their own predetermined and politically driven narrative.

We can thus thank the media for the National Guard troops that are on standby – waiting in case the jury dares to find Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty.

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Paul Gleiser

Paul L. Gleiser is president of ATW Media, LLC, licensee of radio stations KTBB 97.5 FM/AM600, 92.1 The TEAM FM in Tyler-Longview, Texas.

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15 Responses

  1. Pete A Fasanello says:

    Perhaps it is time for the productive people that actually built this country to get off the couch and put down these non productive clowns that have done nothing

  2. Matthew says:

    Unfortunately disgraceful behavior ( is an opinion) is along with many other things the accepted norm now and has been for many years. Many of our politicians ( leaders ) behave as juveniles , and it’s acceptable some obviously like it. Media has a responsibility, all media that profits from perpetuating this out of control behavior and ” division ” amongst our citizens. Depending on their beliefs, they will have much to answer for one day some say. And this includes all forms of media and all political parties ( politicians). Many folks are easily influenced, quick to believe if from a particular source, they hear the talking points and go with it ,either it’s lack of ability for critical thinking or just a tribal mentality it creates a very profitable environment for those who have no quams from which or what they make money . People talk of unity, then threaten or demean anyone who so called crosses party lines to pass bill etc. Again juvenile mentality at its finest.

  3. Ron Eagleman says:

    Paul, this is a very thoughtful essay regarding the injustice that surrounded a trial that should have never occurred! How could such an obvious case of self-defense ever been allowed to reach the stage of a jury trial? Let me opine: There are several ingredients; first you need a large group of easily manipulated adolescents in adult bodies, who have little else to do, except burn down cities. Sprinkle in a few leftist agitators within the the mob scene, as well as the leftist agitators in the legacy media to keep the “demonstrators” excited. Be sure to have a good wardrobe supervisor to furnish props, like the race-baiting signs, clubs, and fire accelerants, and then bring to a boil. To complete this recipe, you need a generous measure of spineless elected officials who are afraid to stand up to this mob, and do not forget to stir in the equally spineless prosecutors. Presto, you now have the perfect mixture for the stew we witnessed leading up to the Kyle Rittenhouse political prosecution (persecution). At least there were 12 jurors who had the onions to slap their hands and say NO. Maybe this verdict will be encouragement for the millions who believe that lady justice is really blind!

  4. C M Solomon says:

    The Marxist sock puppets that continue to “grace” us with their “brilliance” seem to think that we Patriots are victims of “juvenile mentality at its finest” and incapable of independent thought and judgment. It is actually the commie-sock puppets that can’t see the obvious insanity of the Left as they “pretend” to defend Lawlessness in every form to justify deceptive “unity” by crossing party lines to pass a bill that is fundamentally Evil. The Evil is actually camouflaged TYRANNY as it uses a “thousand cuts” to shred the Constitution (our Liberties and Freedoms) for which we must depend upon in order NOT to become Slaves of the unelected, perpetual, and EXPENSIVE Administrative State that is bankrupting the Nation and its traditional American moral values.

    The Federal government and its alphabet soup of agencies has declared War on America and its law abiding citizens as it follows the recipe of the Communist playbook to divide and conquer with fear and intimidation to quash any opposition to their goals of conquest. As I have said before, it is obvious now, that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has recruited leadership in almost every institution, government (all levels), media, academia, and global mega-businesses as well as the local Chamber of Commerce. This is to bring about the subjugation of American citizens to the Leftist ideology that insists on obedience, without which they can’t survive given the draconian limits on their free exercise of Liberty, both thought and deeds.

    The Federal government’s distribution of fake “medical science” by using the CCP weaponized COVID-19 virus as a vehicle to enforce unjustified masks, experimental vaccinations with UNKNOWN long term consequences, lockdowns, and loss of businesses, jobs, and income for the masses, has proven to me that the CCP is winning in their desperate goal to crush Liberty on a world wide basis. The following videos are intended to alert you to the tyranny that is already being forced on the American Patriot community. Watch with horror as Patriotic efforts to expose and eliminate fraudulent ballot (illegal voting) practices is threatened by Color of Law.

    https://rumble.com/vpj6rl-fbi-used-unnecessary-brute-force-on-americas-mom-founder.html

    https://rumble.com/vpj6wb-illegitimate-regimes-terrorize-americans.html

    • Matthew says:

      Again many of my points are proven,unfortunately. Another demonstration of how well the lies, misinformation, are doing just as intended. All these terrible things will happen so vote for me and we’ll hold the line together and save our country from the ” Kraken “, say our elected officials and wannabes . And the brilliant talking heads ( for a price ) perpetuate the fear,with their talking points ,and never any meaningfull detailed explanation on just how and why , just keep it short, sweet, and simple. They realize much of their audience isn’t going to really think things through, connect the dots ,that’s the beauty of it all. If you want something to be true bad enough then it is. And these things apply to left and right, although the right is obviously a whole lot better at it. I sometimes think some folks want some of these things to happen so they can say ” I told you so ” , you know that juvenile way of expression. Oh the madness of it all,and so it goes.

    • C M Solomon says:

      The key argument of the Left is that everyone is guilty of misinformation for their own monetary and political benefit; therefore, NO AMOUNT OF TRUTHFUL EVIDENCE from the Patriots can be considered in a discussion or legitimate debate. What this means is that the Left is excused from EVER taking responsibility for the BIG LIE while they continue the promotion of TYRANNY over the population being justified (by whatever means of DECEPTION) in order to establish their UTOPIA as the ultimate goal for the Left (Marxist, Communists) to have dictatorial control over the levers of government in order to manage their subjects as if they were domesticated animals.

      The COVID-19 project was the key that opened the door for ALL of the malfeasance in government that has resulted in destroying individual freedom, property, election systems, and the independence of the medical profession, and ultimately forcing “vaccine passports” to participate in normal life. The biggest clue to me was the TOTAL dismissal by government “experts” of NATURAL and robust immunity (including mutations, 20 times better than experimental “vaccines”) that DON’T need “booster” shots. These shots contain the CCP manufactured spike protein that is lethal throughout the human body when it leaks over time into other tissues because it damages vital organs causing lifetime disability or death. Furthermore the booster shots are increasingly ineffective against mutations of the virus. The long term medical trials were NEVER done before the RNA-DNA modifier “vaccines” that were released for global enforcement.

      Anyone in good health below 65 can gain natural immunity with multiple and highly successful therapeutics, given EARLY treatment of the disease if infected with symptoms. The survival rate among this class of population is 99.97% without masks or any other special accommodations as many Norwegian countries have already proven. Many are infected without ANY symptoms as their body’s immune system successfully protects them from illness while killing off the virus, particularly children less than 12 years old. Anyone with comorbidities that is infected with the virus and treated with EARLY therapeutics also have a successful outcome as many specialists in the field have proven whereas the government “protocols” being enforced in some Hospital bureaucracies are actually prohibited from using early therapeutics resulting in lower success rates.

      The other clue of TYRANNY on the march is the government insistence of vaccinating ANYONE who has already gained natural immunity. The “vaccine” actually DEGRADES and sometimes DESTROYS the robustness of ones wide ranging and long lasting immunity. Why would these government “experts” EVER consider such a scheme to damage those already safe from the virus who cannot spread the disease at all whereas the “vaccinated” if they become infected can still spread the virus to others. The CDC just admitted this fact! Now, Western European governments are instituting massive country-wide lock downs and universal vaccinations with “medical passports”. Meanwhile, the local populations are starting to riot in protest of the creeping medical and social tyranny under way. Is the United States next?

    • C M Solomon says:

      Here are two of many references from which my comments were based for those that doubt their veracity. Beware! One cannot depend upon the Left’s propaganda machines to learn the truth about ANY issue as Paul has demonstrated above. Please do your own research!

      https://www.revolver.news/2021/08/navy-commander-warns-national-security-threat-from-mandatory-vaccination/

      https://www.ntd.com/texas-covid-19-summit-covid-19-vaccines-are-they-safe-and-effective_703962.html

    • C M Solomon says:

      Here is an interview with the original US Physician (Dr. Vladimir Zelenko) that first pioneered the EARLY treatment of the COVID-19 disease in this country AGAINST ALL ODDS saving 85% of his patients from hospitalization and certain (90%) death given the protocols at the time (March 2020). This is another stark example in support of Paul’s essay of the “disgraceful” and malevolent operation of entrenched institutions that feed off of the citizens of this country to benefit their own Cult-Like Narcissistic empires at the expense of serving the public with the TRUTH.

      https://vimeo.com/576096805

      This is an interview conducted by John Leake of Dallas and is one that you will NEVER forget. Many US and global institutions (bureaucracies) and alphabet government agencies are perpetual motion machines that have little to do with serving this nation properly for which they were created and funded by our tax dollars and deficit spending by the billions! What happened to morality in the institutions that we depend upon in order to be successful as we continue to fend off institutionalized tyranny based on LIES?

      Truth is treason in the Kingdom of Lies.

  5. Ron Eagleman says:

    One additional comment: Even though this verdict was a win for equal justice, the Marxists did not come away empty handed. As is true in other intimidation tactics, by utilizing violence, as well as a corrupt legal system in certain jurisdictions, there will be a definite “chilling” effect on the next defender of himself/herself from deadly threats. Who will be as quick to react or as willing to go through the ordeal that follows such an act of self defense? This is just another lesson…”this nightmare is what you will get for resisting; just be compliant, even if it costs you your life”! The only thing that might get some of these accomplices’ attention is to sue their pants and panties off!

  6. Darrell Durham says:

    The liberals are quick to shout racism, white supremacists, etc in the Rittenhouse trial, even though all the victims and the accused were white. Some say a black teen would have been given life without parole. What if ALL the actors were black? Would they argue the one had no right to self-defense against many? Likely not, nor would a black-on-black killing have gotten the same airtime, i.e. Chicago weekends. The color of skin is hard to see from the drone video, but what is clear is the one being chased and attacked had the right to defend himself.

    • Ron Eagleman says:

      Good point Darrell! I wonder how many deaths in Chicago and other blue cities with high black-on-black shootings were in self-defense? We probably will never know because for some reason the media and “Black Lives Matter” do not think that those black lives matter. What a sad commentary!

    • Michael Reagan says:

      Great post Darrell. If you will think back about 6 months; maybe more, the media (even Fox News) has stopped all reporting on criminal activities in Chicago. It was routine for a report to come out at the first of each week on how many were shot and killed over the weekend in Chicago. But, some “woke” Biden administrator put a stop to that. When is the last time someone on the news put numbers up of all the killings and shootings in the Windy City? Lets not forget all the murders and disappearances of people in Mexico and at the Border as well. Have not seen those numbers in a very long time. The Wokies (not to be confused with Wookiees) are stopping all access to criminal activities in this country.

  7. Andy Walker says:

    As to the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, I agree with everything you had to say. I’m simply pointing out a matter of semantics in one of your bullet points. You referred to the three people Kyle Rittenhouse shot as, “his victims”. Actually he was their victim.

  8. C M Solomon says:

    At the risk of wearing out my welcome, I would like to summarize what I have learned about this fake COVID crisis (in one paragraph) and WHY we are at risk of TRUE MEDICAL TYRANNY by a global MANDATE that is consuming western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, reminiscent of the Nazis in the last century where the “UN-vaccinated” have become a mortal enemy to the ESTABLISHMENT.

    Treatment with EARLY therapeutics bestows essentially a PERMANENT cure (99.97%) for the COVID-19 disease WITHOUT having to accept the mRNA EXPERIMENTAL “jab” for which the drug companies are released from ANY LIABILITY. Initially, the “jab” does not protect anyone from getting the disease any more than those that don’t get the “jab”. The “jab” only reduces the severity of the disease and is NOT as robust as EARLY therapeutics as stated above. Those that recover from the disease with EARLY therapeutic treatment obtain “natural immunity” which is 20 times stronger than that obtained by the mRNA “jab”. Most importantly, those that get the “jab” will shed the spike protein that is artificially generated in their body for a few weeks causing others to be exposed to the infectious spike protein (virus contagious element) even before they were to get the disease in the future. Those that have “natural immunity” having recovered from the disease, as stated above, cannot spread the virus even if they are exposed in the future. That is NOT the case for those who got the “jab” and recovered, and furthermore, these people CAN get reinfected again, as is happening NOW, and spread the virus again while in recovery. After the “jab” wears out in 6 months, booster shots are required. So WHY are the recovered with “natural immunity” who did NOT and will NOT get the “jab” (since they don’t need it) being treated as renegades whose Freedoms must be restricted in order to “protect” everyone else (that is NOT in danger)? Their robust “natural immunity” CAN’T spread the virus under any circumstances. Furthermore, “natural immunity” is severely diminished by getting the “jab” if forced by unconstitutional MANDATES making them MORE vulnerable to the disease in the future. This is insanity!

  9. Darrell Durham says:

    A recent comment by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez proves just how far they will go to push their agenda and narrative. She said the data just doesn’t support all the lawless acts we see in videos on the news EVERY DAY! How did she get elected? TWICE?!?!
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ocasio-cortez-smash-and-grabs-doubting-reactions

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