Thread

We’re seeing a narrative evolve in real time in Lancaster, PA that omits the fact that the man who was shot & killed by police was actively trying to kill a police officer, even w/ bodycam evidence.

Enormously irresponsible, especially given the current climate.

We’ll start with @AP. They just so happened to leave out the reason why the officer was running away - a direct threat against his life - but managed to get the suspects race involved.

Reporting from @AP got picked up all over, as it does, and recycled through the same lens.

Here’s @usnews, who manage to scrub the knife detail and focus instead on the trendy topics: police shootings and protests.

Which is exactly the problem. By shoehorning a very obviously justified police use of force into the current narrative, you erase the details that matter.

@PhillyInquirer did the same thing, facts be damned.

Absolutely zero mention of what precipitated the deadly shooting from @YahooNews.

Same thing from @guardian - completely omits the key details, even after all the relevant information is publicly available.

And more of the same from @syracusedotcom

Here’s @thehill

@Newsweek was - not surprisingly - the least responsible with their reporting.

And by the time the dust has settled and the damage has been surveyed by the “protestors,” the situation that led to it has been all but forgotten.

Here’s @AP again and @PennLive

I usually leave out local stations because they do a hard and thankless job, but you can already see the narrative forming here.

And the usual arsonists jumped on the pile.

It is absolutely impossible to look at the bodycam video and conclude that the “police summarily executed” anyone, @greg_doucette.

And the usual clickbait folks jump in. Here’s @revolttv.

And before you know it, the issue - framed in a way that doesn’t fit the facts - is trending on twitter.

Shouldn’t need to be pointed out but this is REALLY bad.

This death, like any other, is a tragedy. But that doesn’t mean it fits your world view or advances your narrative just because of a few of the details of the event.

If reporting obfuscates more than it reveals about these kinds of things, we’ll all be worse off.

I have a bad feeling this thread will need to be added on to as more places pick up the story, especially national outlets.

Also, shouldn’t be lost on anyone that all of this is happening while two officers in LA are battling for their lives after someone attempted to assassinate them.

You want to know where the anti-police animus comes from? I’ve got a guess.

For those asking I don’t have anything to support or subscribe to but I do these threads often so throw me a follow if you’d like.

And remember in your charity the families of police officers killed in the line of duty. If you can give, here’s a good org: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8402