Yellow Journalism: Media Jumping to Blame Sarah Palin for Gabrielle Giffords Shooting

| January 10, 2011

I’m curious, now that it has been reported that accused gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, had been fixated on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords since 2007; will the left stop the meme that Sarah Palin was somehow responsible?

I personally didn’t know who Sarah Palin was in 2007.

As a blogger friend of mine put it maybe the media will try to spin it this way now, “it was Sarah Palin’s inaugural speech before the Wasilla PTA, not her PAC activity, that led to the tragedy.”

Byron York pointed out yesterday that the media who urged caution after the Ft. Hood tragedy now are racing to blame Sarah Palin for the shooting.

The media’s conduct has been shameless.  There was a term that was used for this type of behavior that you don’t hear much anymore – “yellow journalism.”  It seems to apply here.

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Category: Media Issues, Sarah Palin

About the Author ()

Shane Vander Hart is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caffeinated Thoughts. Shane has been involved in youth ministry since 1992 in church, para-church, and Christian school settings, and currently works with juvenile offenders in the Des Moines Metro area. He has also been an interim pastor for a local Evangelical Free Church and provides pulpit supply for area churches. Shane also serves as the Communications Director for American Principles Project with their Preserve Innocence Initiative.  Shane has been married to his wife Cheryl since 1993 and they have three kids.  Shane and his family reside near Des Moines, IA.  You can connect with Shane on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
  • Anonymous

    I will hold a sign in protest again, alone if I have to, as I did when she appeared at Hy-vee Hall in 2009,
    next time she thinks about coming back to Iowa.

    You may not have heard of her back in 2007, but you’ve been sitting upright anytime you see her on TV since that CONvention night with McCain.

    When is the new Iowa Secretary of State who wants madatory ID’s for anyone slightly brown going
    to say something less inlfamatory after the shootings.

    Yellow journalism 101 can be traced to cannabis prohibition, not Sarah’s crosshairs.Learn your history bro,not spin it.

  • Matt

    I haven’t seen any reports from the so-called mainstream media claiming Sarah Palin was actually responsible of for the shooting. As for Giffords being on her target list, it seems totally natural that people would begin asking the question of whether it may have been a factor in the killing. And although it appears the target list was probably not a factor, there’s nothing wrong with using this tragedy as an opportunity for all of us to pause and reconsider the language we use.

    • http://caffeinatedthoughts.com Shane Vander Hart

      Please Matt, they’ve all but directly came out and said it and some have actually said it.

      Dig deeper, you’ll find the stories. I’m seeing them in my Google Reader.

  • tony4516

    The left will stop at nothing. With any tragedy they will try to blame the right. CNN was blaming Sarah P all day yesterday, then they moved to “talk radio”. Next will come the attack on the 2nd. Amendment. All they care about is pushing their agenda and expanding the role of government.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-McFadden/100001792457291 Jason McFadden
  • devildog6771

    Devildog6771:

    I agree totally with your remarks, Thank you.

  • Pingback: Sarah Palin and the “Blood Libel” Controversy » Caffeinated Thoughts

  • Matt

    Hi Shane,

    I thought you might like reading this article which relates to this topic. Yes, it’s from NPR, but despite its liberal reputation, NPR really does have a lot of good news reporting:

    http://www.npr.org/2011/01/14/132909487/fame-through-assassination-a-secret-service-study

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