The way the mainstream media treat certain kinds of protests compared to those they view as “right-wing” has always been the subject of great mockery. We probably all remember the MSNBC reporter standing in front of a burning building proclaiming that the Black Lives Matter protest that led to its destruction had been mostly peaceful.

(related: CNN Has Now Produced One of the Most Surreal Moments in ‘News’ History)

But the bias goes beyond just the reporting on the ground. It’s also pervasive in how fact-checking outlets deal with stories of protests gone wrong. If right-wing, anti-lockdown protesters peacefully gather at a state capitol, it’s described as something nefarious. If left-wingers are involved, then they are described as simply extolling the best parts of democracy.

Thus, you get CNN’s Daniel Dale insisting that Andy Ngo, who focuses on documenting left-wing violence, lied about a recent Black Lives Matter protest getting out of hand in Iowa.

This is a lie. Protesters did not storm Iowa’s Capitol…they had a permit, they went through security, the building is open to the public. Per Des Moines Register, the one arrest was of a high school student an officer claimed “pushed my arm in an attempt to gain my attention." pic.twitter.com/ajexIPOtZc

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 10, 2021

If what Dale is saying is true, that’s a pretty big screwup by Ngo. Of course, you’ll be less than shocked to learn that it is the CNN fact-checker guy who doesn’t have all the facts. Ngo responded with the receipts, noting that Section 3.3 of the regulations for a permit to protest makes the permit invalid if police tell the crowd to disperse.

There is no lie in my tweet, CNN “fact checker.” The permit is no longer applicable once they ignored lawful orders from officers (see section 3.3 of the permit). It is not a peaceful public gathering when they assault the officers & stop them from making an arrest. https://t.co/7oSGybjqED

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 11, 2021

As Ngo says, one person was also arrested. While Dale predictably tries to downplay that fact, reports are that the high school student hit the officer and then tried to snatch his handcuffs away. That may not be a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but if you watch the video, the crowd had clearly gotten out of hand. The police were within their rights to order them out of the building. When they didn’t listen, they no longer had a legal right to claim a permit that allowed them to be there.

Now, we could quibble over the language used, I suppose. Did they “storm” the building? Or were they trying to illegally occupy it, given they originally entered it legally? Honestly, I don’t think it matters. I’d submit that if someone wants to argue such semantics, that’s proof enough the original fact-check had no basis. Ngo was right on the facts about their permit no longer being valid. They were in the building contrary to the legal requests of law enforcement. It’s that simple.

Regardless, compare CNN’s rush to apologize for the BLM protesters here to how they treated peaceful, “right-wing” protesters in Michigan last year. That’ll give you an idea of how concerned Dale and his network really are with the facts.

Related…via RedState’s new YouTube channel: