Reuters Take on Tiki Torch Smear Explains Why Americans No Longer Trust Media

Reuters once upon a time was considered just straight news. But they’ve just given a brilliant example of why that’s no longer true and why Americans no longer trust media.

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We reported on the despicable “white supremacist” tiki torch smear that McAuliffe supporters perpetrated against Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin.

After people started identifying alleged Democrats involved in the dirty trick, the Lincoln Project then took the blame for the stunt. They then tried to perpetrate another smear against Youngkin with their “justification” claiming they did it because of “Glenn Youngkin’s continued failure to denounce Donald Trump’s ‘very fine people on both sides.’” Notice the slimy phrasing there. They don’t actually say President Donald Trump called Neo-Nazis or white supremacists “very fine people” because they know it’s a lie. They use the term — fine people — knowing that’s what people will conclude. Just their protective phrasing shows they know exactly what they’re doing to mislead people.

How did Reuters cover it?

They claimed that “Republicans” were behind the tiki torch effort — identifying the Lincoln Project as “anti-Trump Republicans.” At no point do they explain that they are McAuliffe supporters nor do they say that the group has spent nearly $300,000 backing him.

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Then Reuters repeats the lie about “fine people.”

Trump, who was president during the Aug. 11, 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, was criticized for initially saying there were “fine people on both sides” of the dispute between neo-Nazis and their opponents at the rally.

Once again — for what seems like the billionth time — Trump never called Neo-Nazis or white supremacists “very fine people.” Trump was referencing protesters on both sides of a debate — pro-removal of the statue and anti-removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee. He specifically said that “Neo-Nazis and white supremacists should be condemned totally” in the same remarks. He specifically broke down the four groups at the protests — the peaceful protesters on either side of the debate, the Neo-Nazis, and the people in “black” (Antifa). Neither the neo-Nazis nor Antifa were “very fine people.” Notice how Reuters leaves out that critical part about Antifa being there and violent, just terming the people as “Neo-Nazis and their opponents.”

As we noted, they weren’t the only media that was being misleading. CNN even put the Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens on to repeat the “fine people” venom with Chris Cuomo claiming that Stevens was asking a “legitimate” question. This, despite the fact that CNN’s Jake Tapper had previously debunked the “fine people” lie.

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What’s disgusting in this media effort is that the people doing actual creepy and despicable things are the McAuliffe supporters, but the media won’t call them out.

As Youngkin’s lieutenant governor running mate Winsome Sears noted, it’s the McAuliffe folks here who are seeking to divide people, not the Republican side.

The energy appears to be with Youngkin, no matter the smears or the media.

This is why Democrats are so scared and throwing anything they can against the wall, with the help of the media.

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