Mainstream media outlets continue to print false and defamatory descriptions of Breitbart News in a nakedly political effort to marginalize a growing competitor.
In a news article on Sunday about the appointment of former Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon to the National Security Council, for example, National Public Radio’s Merrit Kennedy described Breitbart News “a far-right media outlet that has promoted conspiracy theories” and claimed that it “espouses white nationalism.” She provided no evidence whatsoever to back up any of her false claims.
Similarly, in its own article about Bannon, the New York Times called Breitbart News “a magnet for white nationalists, antiglobalists and conspiracy theorists.” Though there are certainly “antiglobalists” writing for Breitbart (and for the New York Times), there are no white nationalists or conspiracy theorists — and, of course, the Times provides no evidence to back up its false assertions.
The Washington Post contented itself with attacking Breitbart’s audience, calling Breitbart News “a conservative website popular with white nationalists.”
The Post provided no evidence whatsoever to back up its claim, which more closely resembles left-wing agitprop than news reporting.
The spate of false reporting was reflected in the lead story at Media Matters for America, a “non-profit” organization devoted to attacking conservative media — and, in a new plan, to ousting the Trump administration. Media Matters said “Bannon is an extremist anti-Semite who formerly ran the white nationalist “alt-right” website Breitbart.com.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.