“What would you be willing to pay to reduce gun violence?” the San Jose Mercury News headline asks.
If there was a measure on the ballot that called for increased tax rates to pay for an increased prevention of gun violence, how would you vote? If you say yes, then how much would you be willing to pay?
The question is never honestly explored. Instead, it is presumed that summarizing the offerings of anti-gun “researchers” Phil Cook and Jens Ludwig authoritatively lays down the last word on the “costs” of “gun violence,” with no attempt to factor in the benefits of gun ownership.
That this is a one-sided propaganda piece instead of “straight news” is not apparent to the majority of readers--indeed, it was filed under "Breaking News." Column author Scott Johnson is identified as a “reporter” in the lede, and it’s not until one starts pulling strings on his “Oakland Effect” blog that his incentive for advocacy and his disinterest in exploring a more complete picture becomes evident. From there we learn Mr. Johnson “is the Oakland Tribune's Violence Reporting Fellow, an investigative position funded by the California Endowment.”
“Funded by the California Endowment”..?
The ones whose President and CEO just named Michael Bloomberg and George Soros his “Heroes of the Month”?
On July 1, I interviewed Chad Baus of Buckeye Firearms Association on my The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance radio program to discuss his article on “advocacy journalists,” that is, paid propagandists presenting their agenda-directed work as news. It would have been ethical for the Mercury News to disclose “reporter” Johnson’s sympathies and financial incentives, would it not? What does it tell us that they did not?
What would you call it if a financial analyst with undisclosed conflicts of interest presented only the liabilities and none of the assets of a competitive enterprise in order to frighten away investors? It’s the same when one looks only at the cost of abuse with guns and not at the protective benefits firearms provide when used by moral people.
Fraud. It’s all the swindling antis have to con the suckers with. And the Fourth Estate Fifth Columnists are happy to act as shills and bring in the marks.
Also see:
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Project Guntalker
My appearance last night with Mark Walters on Armed American Radio to discuss the ongoing "Project Gunwalker" scandal is here.
Click here for archives from last week's The War on Guns program. You can see the lineup and guests here.
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Help wanted--inquire within
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