Ten months into President Trump’s second term, the national media continue to run interference for the political left. They downplay stories that reflect poorly on Democrats, amplify narratives that can damage the administration, and protect their preferred voices from accountability. Last week provided one of the clearest examples yet.

Six Democratic lawmakers released a public video calling on uniformed military personnel to “refuse illegal orders.” They went further, warning that the real threat is “right here at home.” The target was obvious: the Commander in Chief.

Whatever one thinks of policy disagreements with the administration, encouraging insubordination inside the armed forces crosses a bright legal and ethical line. Federal law, specifically 18 USC 2387, prohibits actions intended to influence the loyalty or discipline of United States military personnel. 

Yet ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC gave the video zero seconds of initial coverage.

When President Trump addressed the issue publicly, the blackout finally broke. The Sunday shows then adopted a different strategy. They provided the lawmakers with friendly interviews that allowed them to recast their own statements.

On ABC’s This Week, Martha Raddatz allowed Senator Elissa Slotkin to dismiss the video as harmless. Slotkin claimed, without evidence, that large numbers of young officers are approaching her with fears of illegal orders. She then repeated the old claim that President Trump told the Secretary of Defense to “shoot protesters in the legs” during the Lafayette Square riots. Raddatz offered a quiet clarification that no such order was ever given, then moved on.

On CBS’s Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan allowed Representative Jason Crow and Senator Mark Kelly to repeat the same Lafayette Square narrative. Her only objection was a brief reminder that these were comments rather than orders. She did not mention the law. She did not question their statements about refusing orders. She immediately changed the subject.

This is the pattern we continue to document:

The networks ignore a story when it reflects poorly on Democrats.

When the story becomes unavoidable, they allow the principals to rewrite it.

When the administration responds, the focus shifts to the response rather than the conduct that prompted it.

The public deserves a full and accurate picture of events. A free press cannot decide which facts count and which facts vanish.

We are recording every minute of this coverage and every omission so that Americans can see what the networks refuse to show.

Your support allows us to continue this work. Thank you for standing with us.

​​​Take it easy,

David Bozell
President

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