Mainstream media (MSM) bias was never more clearly displayed than when it ignored what could have been one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history in favor of the Florida school shooting. It happened the same day — Valentine’s Day — in Amarillo, Texas, when an armed street person entered the Faith City Mission and took between 100 and 150 worshipers hostage. Joshua Len Jones, age 35, who had been attending the morning service, left the building, retrieved a handgun, reentered the building, and threatened worshipers with it
The MSM was no doubt alerted by local media as soon as the event took place. But what unfolded would not serve their anti-gun agenda and be the headline in the evening news. “Man with nasty hateful dangerous probably illegal firearm shoots and kills dozens” would scream the headline.
One Clay Murdock, a student at the mission, refused to run or hide. Instead, he chose to run toward danger, tackling Jones with the help of other church security people. As far as the MSM was concerned, that was the end of the story: no shooting, no one killed or injured, a nothing burger, move on, looking for something else to cover. Hours later, the Florida school shooting occurred, and the MSM had a horrific tragedy that it could then use to flog its anti-gun narrative: firearm, deranged killer, 17 innocent lives lost.
Of course, it is understandable that such a horrific crime would get national and international publicity. But why doesn’t the MSM point out that the killings occurred in a gun-free zone (the school) where the victims were defenseless? It does not fit the anti-gun narrative. And why doesn’t the MSM also point to examples where the intended victims refuse to allow themselves to become victims? Again, it does not fit the narrative.
Unfortunately, the heroic Murdock got shot for his trouble. As he was wrestling Jones to the ground he managed to take the handgun from the attacker at the very moment when Amarillo’s finest arrived on the scene: “man with gun!” Two officers fired, hitting Murdock. The APD later apologized for shooting the wrong man.
The potentially lethal tragedy at Faith City Mission in Amarillo was covered by local TV station, WLOX, and the Amarillo Globe News. It wasn’t covered by ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, Fox News, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times or the Chicago Tribune. While they were busy spinning the tragedy in Florida to promote their anti-gun agenda, they did not want to include anything — about the Florida shooting or any other story — that might detract from that agenda.
At this writing, Jones was taken into custody and charged with aggravated kidnapping while Murdock is in hospital recovering from surgery following the incident.
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An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at [email protected].
