Saturday’s shooting demands reflection from the media, and all of us

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is supposed to represent the First Amendment and the role of a free press in our democracy. On Saturday, it came to symbolize something darker. As the president was rushed off stage and journalists dove under tables, the country saw the end result of a culture that some of the institutions in that room had helped create.

Of course, neither the press nor the politicians in attendance intentionally stoked the political violence gripping America. But they have fed the public narratives so apocalyptic that unstable people see violence as justified. And too often, the rest of us have rewarded those narratives with our clicks and votes.

On the far left, Americans are told that their democratically elected leaders are fascists who wish to erase marginalized populations. Between 2022 and 2024, MSNBC mentioned President Trump alongside “fascism” 3,032 times.

On the far right, they are told that deep state traitors are seeking to replace the American people with a hoard of invaders. Tucker Carlson alone has invoked the “Great Replacement” theory in more than 400 episodes.

These narratives don’t stay contained. They are reinforced by politicians hungry for attention, and they sow seeds of glory and........

© The Hill