Appearing on the early Saturday/late Friday edition of the Fox News Channel’s Fox News @ Night, NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck took on the best and worst in the liberal media, slamming the liberal media for their “misinformation” campaign on guns with hyperbolic rhetoric that “doesn’t accomplish anything.”
Houck spoke with host Shannon Bream and Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry. Joel Berry led the discussion. highlighting MSNBC host Joy Reid’s venomous Thursday night screed that insisted Republicans don’t care about the lives of dead children (like in Uvalde, Texas) and that there’s “no mental health issue” regarding mass shooters.
Berry said he’s become accustomed to “really awful rhetoric coming from the pundit class” with Reid’s bit having “[taken]It took my breath away, I know. And, of course, I could reply by…making fun Joy Reid…[b]ut I think the more appropriate response…is one of sadness” for what’s happened to “our culture” shirking responsibility from its brokenness.
Houck chose a lowlight as his lowlight. Fact-free melting down from ABC’s The ViewOn Wednesday, Whoopi Goldberg was co-host and warned Americans that the government would come after them.
Houck pointed out that neither “The View and Joy Reid can stand in for really any of these news outlets or a comedy shows or pundit you know, cases of punditry on the left” The past week served as reminder. “there are a few issues in our body politic where there’s more misinformation out there…than on guns.”
Berry chose a photo of the Border Patrol Officer who killed Uvalde’s school shooter. However, he was only slightly injured by a bullet to his skull.
“It seems that a small handful of off-duty Border Patrol agents…disobeyed a stand down order and rushed in to — to save these kids. I can’t think of anything more American,” Berry said.
Going finally to Houck, he selected as his highlight a segment from CNN’s The Lead on Thursday that more CNN shows should emulate as host Jake Tapper brought on The ReloadFounder and CEO Winner of the MRC Bulldog AwardStephen Gutowski to present a fact-based, sober segment about guns.
Houck praised Gutowski as a former colleague who’s “dedicated…to sober, serious firearm safety and reporting”At the time “this…issue…requires facts in very specific concise arguments to break through the noise and the emotion that…frequently overwhelm[s] us.”
“I hope more of that continues. More news outlets should be looking at people like Stephen, who are going to be yelling and screaming to draw outrage and applause and instead allow people to take a breath,”He concluded.
To see the transcript of the segment from FNC’s Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream on May 28, click “expand.”
FNC’s Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream
April 28, 2022
Eastern, 12:25
JIMMY KIMMEL [on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 05/25/22]We are back on another day in mourning here in the United States. We grieve once again for those little girls and boys whose lives were cut short and their families destroyed.
JASON WHITLOCK [on FNC’s Jesse Watters Primetime, 05/26/22]Fear and cowardice are the mainstays of our culture. The attack on masculinity and traditional male values is intense. There’s — it’s not any mystery why young boys are confused, angry. America is rife with mental illness.
SHANNON Bream: It was a difficult and tragic story that we had to write about this week. What was the media’s reaction to the rapidly changing information coming from Uvalde this past week? Let’s talk about that side of the story with Babylon Bee Managing Editor Joel Berry; and NewsBusters Managing Editor, Curtis Houck. It’s great to have you here, gentlemen.
JOEL BERRY: We are grateful for your presence.
CURTIS HOUCK: Good evening, Shannon.
BREAM Joel, I’m going to start with your low light. We’ll play this from MSNBC’s Joy Reid.
JOE REID [on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, 05/26/22]: Republicans just tying themselves into pretzels to point the finger in every single thing, but the problem — the gun. We know that there wasn’t a mental illness in the person who took the futures from 19 Uvalde children, Texas.
BREAM : Joel, please tell us your pick.
BERRY. Yes. You know what? I prepare for some truly awful punditry whenever a tragedy such as this happens. This one still took my breath away a little bit, you know, and I could respond by, by like making fun of Joy Reid, remarking that I’m, I’m amazed that she has a TV show where people pay her money to share these sorts of thoughts with the, I’m assuming dozens of viewers that tune in every week. My response would be one of sadness. I think, you know, our, our culture, a lot of our culture is so desperate —
BREAM: Mmhmm.
BERRY: — to avoid a lot of the real issues that are plaguing our culture right now. Everywhere I look, I see the brokenness of our institutions —
BREAM: Mmhmm.
BERRY: — our leadership, our politicians, and our families, you know, the way we’re failing, we’re failing our young men and in our desperation to avoid a lot of these really difficult and complex issues, we kind of pour all our energy and our focus into this inanimate object, this gun, the scapegoat, that — that seems like such a simple and easy solution to us. And it’s just a tragedy. I think we need to, we need to start having a lot of these — these difficult conversations.
BREAM: And they will take time and they are — and by the way, folks, there are going to be some highlights here. Keep watching for them. We’ve got some good news. Curtis: I’d like to hear your low, light. This is Whoopi Goldberg.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG [on ABC’s The View, 05/25/22]: You bought an AR-15 from the gun show. We will see you in court. Do you think your neighbor has too many weapons? Do you need help? If you’re going to get all in my business and tell me what my family can and cannot do? You can’t. They’re going to come for those AR-15, and you better get ready to give them up.
BREAM – Curtis here, it’s your low light pick.
HOUCK: Yes. I’m really just going to echo what Joel has to say. You really mean it. The View Joy Reid is able to stand in for any news outlet, comedy show or pundit. You know, there are a few issues in our body politic where there’s more misinformation out there and misinformed people than on guns. It requires great sobriety on both the American public and journalists. And you’re not seeing that, obviously, with the — people like The View and Whoopi Goldberg, specifically. You know, she’s just off of claiming that she knows better than the Catholic Church regarding Speaker Pelosi. So, now, she’s moving on to this. I guess she’s taking a page out of Beto O’Rourke from his presidential campaign when he said that we’re, we are going to take your AR-15 and it doesn’t accomplish anything.
BREAM: Yes. And apparently, he’s changed that now that he’s running for statewide office in Texas. But okay, let’s quickly get to your highlights because we need some good news. Joel, I’m going to put up the picture here and let you explain this is a cap that was involved in somebody who decided to breach those doors and go in and get this shooter.
BERRY: Well, you’re right. A lot more details are being released. As far as I know the name of this man who was wearing this cap hasn’t been released, but as far as we know, it seems that a small handful of off-duty Border Patrol agents, disobeyed orders, disobeyed a stand down order and rushed in to — to save these kids. I can’t think of anything more American than disobeying orders to do the right thing?
BREAM: Mmhmm.
BERRY: I think it’s awesome. You know, there’s some other pictures of this guy coming out.
BREAM: Mmhmm.
BERRY And it’s encouraging to see, in the midst of this brokenness and corruption, we see the core of America is still there —
BREAM: Mmhmm.
BRERY: — you know, the good people —
BREAM: Yeah.
BERRY: — that are willing to put their lives on the line to do the right thing.
BREAM: Yeah.
BERRY: It’s still there. It’s still alive. It gives me hope.
BREAM: Yes. And another picture I know shows him with the — actually, the stitches on his scalp. He was close enough to the boy doing more harm, but he still ran in that area. This is Curtis’ highlight on CNN.
STEPHEN GUTOWSKI [on CNN’s The Lead, 05/26/22]: You could imagine that hardening schools, as some Republicans have suggested, could have helped in this situation, given what we’re now learning about what actually occurred.
BREAM
HOUCK: Yes. Stephen Gutowski is a former colleague. He set out to create the reload. This organization, you will recall, is committed to serious, sober firearm safety reporting and gun control. As I was saying in my previous answer, this is an issue that requires facts in very specific concise arguments to break through the noise and the emotion that can sometimes overwhelm — and frequently overwhelm us. It was smart of CNN to air Stephen. This is a good thing. People like Stephen should be seen by more news media. They will be screaming and yelling to get outrage, and then allow people to breathe.
BREAM: Yes. And we need factual information, whether it’s regard to the law enforcement response or potential legislative measures, we need to have those conversations because we’re all emotionally drained this week and just heartbroken for these folks in Texas. So, you are right. While we want to engage in spirited discussion, it is important that the conversation remains respectful. It’s what we try to do here on Fox News @ Night. Joel and Curtis thank you for sharing your time with us.
BERRY: We are grateful.
HOUCK: Thanks, Shannon.
About Post Author
