10 Ways The Media Is Gaslighting You

We’ve heard about gaslighting in relationships, and now it’s flowing over into the media. Gaslighting is a “form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment.” 

It’s fair to say that given the overflow of contradictory information in the mainstream news, we’re often left unsure of what to believe and we begin questioning even the simplest facts. And that’s by design.

Don’t believe me? Here are just 10 ways the media is gaslighting you:

1. Anti-Establishment, Anti-Capitalism Revamp with... Biden??

The rise in populism is undeniable on both sides of the political aisle. After years of foreign intervention, war, and corruption, the Left and the Right took it upon themselves to denounce the establishment and career politicians. 

Newcomers like Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard became all the rage among the youth, though receiving very little media coverage, and there were those who were even pulling for Bernie Sanders as they felt he was wronged in the last presidential primary election against Hillary Clinton. 

Nobody can name one accomplishment Biden achieved to benefit minorities in almost 50 years.

But all in all, the mainstream rallies up behind Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and several others who have been in power for decades, to uplift Joe Biden to represent the values of Democrats in the final stretch of the presidential race. A man who first set foot on the Capitol Hill as a Senator in 1972. That’s right, almost half a century ago.

The media justifies the violent movements happening across our nation as a needed action to fight systemic and institutional injustices against minorities, but have yet to question the fact that the Left’s chosen candidate has been in power for nearly 50 years and nobody can name one accomplishment he achieved to benefit minorities and the most vulnerable in our country through the course of all those years.

2. And Speaking of Violent Protests…Did Anyone Say COVID??

The media attacked business owners as they gathered to protest against lockdowns that hindered their incomes, but no mention of COVID was made when tens of thousands gathered in close proximity across the country to riot, loot, and protest against systemic racism.

They still reported on people failing to social distance and how the virus was incredibly dangerous, but when it came to assessing the public health risk associated with the riots… crickets.

3. Masks for You, Not for Me…

The frenzy over Donald Trump removing his mask for a photo op while alone on a balcony was all over the news. He had just left the hospital and dared to remove his mask for a picture, but when Nancy Pelosi walked around maskless in a salon to get a new hair-do, despite the salon being closed for regular customers due to coronavirus restrictions, the silence of most of the mainstream media regarding Pelosi’s blatant hypocrisy was deafening.

She had just given a public speech about the need for everyone to wear face coverings, but when the cameras were off, so were the masks. 

When the cameras were off, so were the masks. 

The ability to walk around without a bandana covering your nose is a right apparently reserved only for the political elites.

4. But Back to the Fiery but Mostly Peaceful Protesting…

Michelle Obama received coverage for stating that most of the protests were peaceful, and CNN had a headline of “Fiery but mostly peaceful protesting” when covering the riots.

But could the destruction of private property, arson, looting, theft, and other destructive activities found commonly in these protests really be considered peaceful?

Because if so, we should probably update the law. As it now stands, in most places, these harmful acts are actually considered to be serious crimes.

5. Sexual Deviancy Is Only a Problem in the GOP…Right?

Andrew Gillum, Bill Clinton, Katie Hill (who’s getting her own movie), and more recently, Cal Cunningham would beg to differ.

The silence surrounding the astounding revelations against these public officials’ sexually unethical behavior, while we couldn’t stop hearing about Stormy Daniels and her possible romantic encounter with Trump, TEN YEARS AGO, displays the media’s clear bias on who they choose to scrutinize.

If Avenatti, Stormy’s lawyer, hadn’t been exposed for his crimes, it’s possible we would have continued to see her name stamped on the news every other week. But you won’t hear about Andrew Gillum’s meth party anywhere.

6. Trust the Experts…NOT

The coronavirus craze is unprecedented, and so were the political mandates that have followed since the beginning of this pandemic. The restrictions on the civil rights of Americans, some based on no actual science, left many of us wondering what would be the right course of action to follow.

Doctors who dared to speak against the chosen mainstream narrative were vilified or dismissed.

The constant changes in official recommendations by the CDC and the WHO contributed to the overall public confusion, and whenever doctors and health experts dared to speak against the chosen mainstream narrative of the day, they were vilified, dismissed, and even had their content banned from social media.

Anything that pointed to the fact that the political attacks on our personal freedoms might have been unwarranted, and were perhaps even detrimental to public health, was given zero coverage or dismissed without proper fact-checking. 

Censoring doctors and experts was a surprising new low for 2020… but, wait for it…

7. Believe All Women, Unless They’re, Well, Tara Reade

The #MeToo movement marked the beginning of a new era, in which women felt empowered by the community to come forward with their stories of abuse at the hands of powerful and influential men in their industries.

We all remember the hearing of SCOTUS Kavanaugh, when Christine Blasey Ford was hailed by the media for accusing the judge of sexual assault while providing no concrete proof or even an accurate statement account of what happened during the supposed assault.

But her “heroism and bravery” never left the media’s mainstream narrative. Other women felt compelled to come forward with accusations against the judge as well, but were soon unmasked as frauds.

Despite the unreliability of those stories, we saw these women every day on the TV and heard their names every day on the radio.

When was the last time you heard from Joe Biden’s accuser, Tara Reade? Or from the other seven women who have accused him of inappropriate behavior? Do you even know what they look like?

Didn’t think so.

8. Empower and Support Women…Unless They’re Nominated for the Supreme Court.

Amy Coney Barrett: A jurist, academic, exemplar student, a wife, and mother of 7 children, including 2 adopted from Haiti, was nominated to be a Supreme Court justice, and there’s absolutely nothing empowering and supportive about how the media is attacking this strong woman.

There’s absolutely nothing empowering and supportive about how the media is attacking ACB.

Their attacks will only worsen as the elections near. Because it was never about supporting women in the first place.

But hey! There’s more...

9. “The Right is Fascist, but dare celebrate the victory of your candidate on Nov 3 on social media and we will censor you.”

Um, excuse me?

Crickets from the media when the Proud Boys and BLM stood together for a press conference to stop the divisive hate the media festered between them.

The frenzy over Trump being asked once again to denounce white supremacy and his response addressing “hateful acts” and not white supremacy by name would almost make you feel like we live in a white ethnostate and that the end is truly near.

Meanwhile, social media platforms announced that they will ban anyone who claims victory of a candidate for the presidency… after the presidential elections. Because that totally makes sense and censorship is apparently cool and trendy in 2020.

Not a fascist move at all… right? Where’s the outrage? *Waiting*

10. And If All That Wasn’t Enough, I Present to You: The Cop and the Cowboy.

Media personalities applauded while the country burned at the hands of rioters who demanded changes in the policing system to address police brutality and the unfair treatment of minorities. Rioters also stood against systemic racism and demanded changes to be made to address social inequality. So it was to everyone’s surprise when their party chose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to represent them.

Joe Biden is the physical representation of social inequality and his privilege shows through countless racist moments and remarks. And Kamala Harris, a prosecutor who slept her way to the top, is known for jailing minorities and even keeping innocent men behind bars. 

Kamala Harris is known for jailing minorities and even keeping innocent men behind bars. 

And the media cheered on that dynamic duo for the White House. For some reason.

We could stay here all day, but…

Closing Thoughts

These 10 examples should suffice for now to display the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how skewed and biased the media is in protecting and promoting only one side of the narrative. The one they like.

Regardless of the contradictions and blatant unethical actions of those who stand on the Left, to the media, they can do no wrong. They will either dismiss the story or refrain from reporting on it. If those on the Right dared to step halfway over of the same line, their careers would be over. 

It’s not about partisanship; it’s about fair and legitimate coverage of both sides of the political aisle. And as viewers, we’re not getting that.