There’s something rotten in the state of American journalism, and it’s not even subtle anymore.
When two men bring machine guns to high school graduations in Minnesota, that’s a national story. But when those two men happen to be Muslim Somali immigrants, the media suddenly forgets how to write headlines.
CBS Minnesota reported the story with the vague, almost laughable title: “Two men charged after guns found in connection with high school shootings.” That’s it. No names. No context. No mention of immigration status. No hint that the suspects had converted firearms capable of fully automatic fire. Just “two men.”
Now we all know what that means.
“Two men” is the press’s favorite euphemism when the real details might cause political inconvenience. If these had been white guys from Texas in pickup trucks, we’d be reading op-eds about white rage, gun culture, and the rise of fascism. There’d be documentaries in the works before the ink on the indictments dried. But because the suspects are Muslim Somali immigrants, the press moves into full protection mode.
It’s not ignorance. It’s not caution. It’s a deliberate cover-up.
The media operates under a rigid narrative framework. If a story fits that narrative; white guy bad, minority victim good, it gets blasted out across every platform. But if it threatens the storyline; immigrant with an illegal weapon at a high school event, then suddenly everyone becomes “just a person,” and all nuance disappears.
Let’s stop pretending this isn’t intentional.
Journalists today aren’t neutral observers. They’re ideological gatekeepers. Their job isn’t to inform anymore, it’s to manage perception. When someone from a protected group commits a crime, the goal is to minimize the public’s reaction. So they soften the language. They omit key facts. They disappear the suspect into a fog of generalities.
You don’t have to believe in conspiracies to see the pattern. You just have to pay attention.
We’ve seen this game played before. The Waukesha Christmas parade massacre? A black supremacist plows through a crowd, killing six people. Within a week, the media dropped it entirely. No round-the-clock coverage. No deep dives. Nothing. Why? Because the victims were mostly white and the attacker didn’t fit the narrative. So the story was buried.
When a white police officer is involved in a questionable shooting, it’s front-page news. When an illegal immigrant stabs a teenager, it’s “a man was arrested.” When a Muslim extremist attacks a synagogue, the motive is always “unclear.”
This isn’t about justice. It’s about agenda.
The American people aren’t stupid. They see the double standard. They notice when the rules change depending on who’s involved. And they’re sick of it.
Journalists love to talk about "eroding trust in media," but they never look in the mirror. Maybe people don't trust you because you lie. Maybe they don’t believe you because they’ve caught you playing this game too many times.
And here’s the kicker: hiding facts doesn’t protect anyone. It doesn’t build unity. It builds resentment. When you cover for one group and scapegoat another, you don’t reduce hate, you create more of it.
Here’s a radical idea: tell the truth. Even when it’s messy. Even when it challenges your politics. Even when it makes people uncomfortable. That’s what journalism used to be. That’s what the public deserves.
The American people don’t need “two men.” We need names, facts, and accountability. Because this country doesn’t run on euphemisms. It runs on truth.
And the truth is, the media has become the biggest misinformation machine in America… because it knows exactly what it’s doing.
CPT Robert M Cornicelli
President Veterans for America First, Former America First NY CD2 Candidate, Ret Army CPT/Navy Veteran & DIA Director of Operations Executive Officer, Founder Veteran Recovery Coalition 501c3, Father Husband
