Doug Robinson: Media uses 'mostly peaceful' as dangerous spin on protests

To The Daily Sun,

When journalists describe violent unrest as “mostly peaceful,” they do more than mislead — they reframe chaos into calm and erode public trust. During the 2020 riots, over $1–2 billion in damages were inflicted across U.S. cities, yet media coverage often softened the reality. Reporters stood in front of burning buildings insisting things were tranquil. That wasn’t journalism — it was narrative spin.

This manipulation has real consequences. In cities like Minneapolis, Portland, and now Los Angeles, small businesses were destroyed, communities gutted, and taxpayers saddled with the fallout: rebuilding costs, lost revenue, and soaring insurance premiums. The people living there didn’t experience “peaceful” — they experienced financial and emotional devastation.

Now, during the latest riots in California following immigration raids, the Los Angeles Police Department chief publicly requested help as crowds torched vehicles and hurled bricks at police. TV personalities described the mayhem as "just people letting off steam" or "having fun watching cars burn." President Donald Trump responded by ordering in National Guard and Marine forces — but left-leaning state leaders condemned his actions, seemingly preferring chaos over cooperation.

Meanwhile, media outlets continue to frame global flashpoints with the same bias. Their report on U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, sourced anonymously and lacking hard evidence, cast doubt on the operation’s success. Critics see this not as transparency — but as a pattern of undermining national interest.

This behavior echoes the media tactics used in communist regimes, where information isn’t reported — it’s filtered. We aren’t facing overt censorship — but we are witnessing a subtler form of control. And when truth is bent to fit an agenda, democracy loses its footing.

Doug Robinson

Laconia