The Wednesday Night MSNBC Episode All InFox News’s Aaron Rupar and Chris Hayes, a leftist journalist, criticized Fox News for failing to cover the Highland Park shooting, Illinois, in the way they expect. Hayes & Rupar said that you shouldn’t be covering mass shootings with a leftist gun control perspective. According to Hayes and Rupar, any solution that doesn’t involve gun control is insufficient.
In the aftermath of the horrific and frequent spectacle of mass gun violence, there is an insidious ritual. Republicans and the right-wing media will have to decide what they should do in the wake of mass gun violence. Hayes declared.
“A country that has more guns per person than any other nation on Earth and the weapon of mass destruction. They are up to the challenge, and they have been. Hayes doesn’t realize the United States is a country with a history of gun ownership. We haven’t had mass shootings in the United States since the past decade.
Hayes told Rupar that “there are stories that right-wing media won’t ignore” and that some are worth spinning. Mass shootings are not something they seem to be ignoring. “I’m curious what your sort of research says about the degree to which they address it and why this is something they just don’t pretend isn’t happening,” Hayes asked.
Rupar admitted that Fox News had not ignored the shooting last night. Rupar then stated that he was just watching Fox News’ primetime show to determine if they had discussed the shooting in the minutes before he joined him. And through about the halfway point of Tucker Carlson’s show, it had not been mentioned once, across both Jesse Watters’ Show and then Tucker’s following it.”
After Rupar complained to Fox that they didn’t mention Highland Park shooting while Rupar was still watching the footage, he criticized the coverage of the tragedy by Tucker Carlson, who in just one hour talked about how women can be bothered and responsible for such shootings. We had Laura Ingraham discussing marijuana use two hours later.
Later on in the segment, Rupar kvetched that the red flag laws on the books in Illinois didn’t prevent the shooter from purchasing and owning a weapon: “There was no usage of the red flag law that’s on the books in Illinois at any point to intervene and to try to get guns out of this guy’s hands.”
However, he insisted that red flag laws should be discussed and implemented in all states. He also suggested that people use them.
The solution to the failures of leftist policies is always more of the same. Double down, then when the policy continues to fail, criticize Fox News and conservatives.
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MSNBC’s All In
June 6, 2022
Eastern Time: 8:53 p.m.CHRIS HAYES – There’s a routine that has been set up on the right after the shocking and ongoing spectacle of mass shooting violence. Republicans and the right-wing media made a number of choices in the wake of mass gun violence. This is the country that owns more guns than anyone else on Earth and also the one responsible for the mass killings. I must give them credit for being up to the challenge.
(…)
HAYES: Oh yes! HAYES: Ah yes! This is all ridiculous, however. The guy has easy access to a firearm is what they blame. Perhaps it’s understandable why Tucker Carlson, Fox News, and even Tucker Carlson want to focus on the problem. Remember that Tucker Carlson was a Buffalo supermarket mass killer who was literally spreading Tucker Carlson’s racist substitute theory just months ago before going on and killing ten.
These young men are radicalized by many things. They all had legal access to an assault rifle that they could use to murder innocent women, men and children. Aaron Rupar, a journalist who has been following Fox News through his Substack Newsletter Public Notice, joined me today.
Aaron, it’s always striking to me — well there’s two things. There are two things that right-wing media ignore. One, there are certain stories they won’t cover. Two, there are other stories that they can spin. Mass shootings are not something they seem to be ignoring. And I’m curious what your sort of research says about the degree to which they address it and why this is something they just don’t pretend isn’t happening.
AARON RUPAR : Thank you Chris. Yeah and you’re right, last night fast Fox News did not ignore the shooting. In the minutes leading to my joining you, however, I watched the closing of their primetime program to check if they had mentioned the shooting. And through about the halfway point of Tucker Carlson’s show, it had not been mentioned once, across both Jesse Watters’ Show and then Tucker’s following it.
Last night, as you can see, was filled with talk about the shooting. However, instead of talking guns, Tucker Carlson talked for an hour about how women’s nagging is to blame. Laura Ingraham, a two-hour later, spoke on marijuana use. Even though the common belief that marijuana consumption leads to increased violent crime has been disproven. It seems that they want to engage with stories that can confirm their previouss. One of the most fundamental assumptions of the right, at least for a portion of it, is that guns never are the problem and that there is no other problem than guns. That’s an admission to libs which will never be made. So yes you’re right that this was not a story that Fox ignored. Although it is impossible for Fox to claim to be a news network and not report on a story such as this, it does seem like they did.
HAYES – There is also some sort of coordination that occurs. It has happened many times. It was the theory of violent video games that was dismissed. It really does seem like it’s a desperate attempt. There is a lot of mental health information, which I see in right-wing corners. SSRIs are a kind of drug for depression and anxiety. That seems like something they’ve been sort of focusing on, but it does seem also desperate. This seems to be a very real throw-your-heavy, almost comical obsession with the doors.
RUPAR I did a big Q & A on my newsletter today Public Notice with Mark Follman who was the national affairs editor for Mother Jones, he is a big proponent of these red flag laws that were incentivized by the bipartisan gun bill that was recently passed.
However, Highland Park’s situation has a problem. His father sponsored the gun permit and despite numerous red flags in his past including the threat to kill his family. There was no usage of the red flag law that’s on the books in Illinois at any point to intervene and to try to get guns out of this guy’s hands.
That’s the real problem the right is referring to. Yes, there is a problem with mental health. But then red flag laws should be discussed and implemented in those states where they are not already. And people should use them. It’s throwing people against the wall, and you are right. You’re playing violent videogames, not marijuana.
These people don’t question that Iceland has the highest per capita antidepressant consumption of any country and they have no gun violence issue. Canada is home to more pot than America, while they have less gun violence. You don’t need to be an investigator journalist to refute these assertions.
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