(FreedomBeacon.com)- In an op-ed at Mediaite, columnist Caleb Howe noted that the media didn’t seem to pay much attention to a Democrat Congressman claiming that he was afraid one of his Republican colleagues might shoot up Congress.
In a recent Raw Story article about the Republicans removing the metal detectors from the entry to the House floor, California Democrat Eric Swalwell claimed that he was afraid of a “workplace violence event” because his Republican colleagues all have guns and “are not the most stable people.”
While Fox News reported on Swalwell’s insane comments, CNN and MSNBC, along with the Washington Post and the New York Times, did not, according to Howe.
Even MSNBC’s Alex Wagner didn’t ask Swalwell about it when he appeared on her show the same day the report was published in Raw Story.
Howe contends that the same would not happen if a Republican House member said he feared a Democrat might shoot up Congress. Howe argues that MSNBC or CNN would jump on the story, even if it was just to mock the Republican for making such an outlandish comment.
According to Howe, there are a few reasons why the media chose to ignore Swalwell’s loony remarks.
He suggested that the media may have ignored it “because it sounds crazy” to half the country and reporters “don’t want to put Swalwell on the spot.” At the same time, Howe suggests that it is also possible the news media agrees with Swalwell.
Howe’s point is that the media should have addressed Swalwell’s comments, at the very least asking him to be more specific and provide proof to “back up his fears,” especially if the news media believes that the public has a right to know.
Howe admits that it does get annoying whenever someone points out that the media wouldn’t be doing something if the parties were reversed. But at the same time, “maybe the solution is for that to stop being true.”
