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As the year comes to a close, here are a dozen of the top stories the media majorly messed up:

The media ripped apart a 16-year-old student seen in a video smirking at a Native American activist on the National Mall during a school trip with Covington Catholic High School to Washington D.C. for the March for Life.

The release of added context however, reveals that Nick Sandmann, a junior at the school who is depicted in the viral image was being harassed along with his peers by members of the Black Hebrew Israelites (BHI).

That didnt stop the media however, from vilifying Sandmann who has since launched legal challenges to media outlets who falsely reported the story.

Television star of the popular series Empire was offered a plethora of sympathetic media coverage throughout February after suffering from an alleged racist and homophobic Jan. 29 attack.

It was later revealed however that Smollett faked the crime and faced 16 charges for lying to police. The Chicago Cook County prosecutors office however, dropped the charges while maintaining it did exonerate him.

As Jonathan Tobin points out for The Federalist, the episode illustrates the societal double-standard that its okay to lie if its in the name of left-wing social justice.

In perhaps one of the medias most magnificent mistakes this year, special counsel Robert Mueller unveiled his findings from a two-year unlimited resource investigation completely exonerating President Donald Trump of being a Russian agent after years of the medias peddling of the Russia hoax.

Mueller found not one person from the Trump campaign, let alone Trump himself, colluded with the Russian government in 2016 to defeat Hillary Clinton. Muellers report also acquitted Trump of any obstruction of justice charges for firing one of the most corrupt directors of the FBI, James Comey.

He has no idea that hes going down, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough declared on Morning Joe as a result of the report.

The White House Correspondents Dinner in April this year opted to forgo a comedian this year to instead just attack Trump openly, complaining that the president might start rounding up journalists and putting them in jail.

Read The Federalists single editorial position on Washingtons NerdProm here.

While the #MeToo era has brought down powerful men for alleged inappropriate conduct in recent years, the media exposed its double-standard when it comes to men they want to protect.

Former Vice President Joe Biden sparked criticism this year for his interactions with young girls earning the Democratic frontrunner the nickname Creepy Uncle Joe.

While the media will eviscerate any man the progressive movement attempts to bring down with allegations of sexual harassment, most notably Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, the media when to bat to defend Biden who has been leading the Democratic primary field ever since.

Antifa, a left-wing movement to counter the fascist alt-right by conducting acts of domestic terrorism has been defended by the media as principled individuals united in their common valor to resist the anti-Trump forces threatening to destroy the country.

Exactly how Antifa is pursuing their mission? By destroying the country. Throughout the year the left-wing militant group has interrupted events and viciously attacked journalists covering their hate resulting in one reporter suffering a brain injury.

It says it right in the name. Antifa, which means anti-fascism, which is what they were there fighting. Listen, no organization is perfect, there is some violence, CNNs Don Lemon said.

They have taken a principled stand to stand against white supremacists and white nationalists wherever they may show up, said a guest on MSNBC.

While America celebrated one of human civilizations greatest accomplishments of world history by landing a man on the moon in 1969, the media condemned the event as a mostly white male dominated event Ok.

In a viral moment caught on a phone camera, a man began berating CNNs Chris Cuomo and called the primetime anchor Fredo.

Dont f***ing insult me like that Its like I call you punk b***h, you like that? Cuomo scolded.

While Cuomo took great offense to the word as an Italian slur, the word is actually a reference to a character in The Godfather.

Cuomo even once referred to himself as Fredo in a radio interview.

Its a true tragedy, really. A 16-year-old climate activist on the autism spectrum kicked off a campaign to save the world from climate change, sailing across the Atlantic and lecturing the world at the United Nations of its imminent threat to humanity.

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, Thunberg declared to world leaders.

Whats sad is the lefts puppeteering of Thunberg as their principle activist to prop up their efforts to enact radical climate legislation, using Thunberg as their flag-bearer to avoid criticism of their proposals labeling anyone who might dare question her demands as bigoted and cruel.

Time Magazine even picked Thunberg as their person of the year. The Federalist has chosen the Hong Kong protestor instead.

While Grabien lists media coverage condemning a violent meme video shown at a Trump resort as Octobers most mortifying moment, media reaction to the video wasnt entirely unjustified given the nature of the video depicting Trump of murdering his opponents and members of the press. Instead, the medias coverage of the presidents successful war on ISIS is far more worthy of condemnation.

After Trump announced the successful execution of the worlds most dangerous terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Washington Post published an astonishing obituary for the ISIS leader, branding the dead anti-American warmonger as an austere religious scholar in the headline.

Further, the Post spent the first half of the article chronicling al-Baghdadis rise in academia, waiting until the 40th paragraph to mention al-Baghdadi was also a serial rapist.

While the Post ultimately reframed story on the same day, the Posts glaring mistake is illustrative of the wider media coverage on Trumps battle with ISIS.

A leaked recording obtained by Project Veritas shows ABC anchor Amy Robach complaining that the network refused to run with her story on Jeffrey Epstein before the revelations surfaced of the hedge fund managers vast sex trafficking network.

Ive had the story for three yearsWe would not put it on the air. Um, first of all, I was told, whos Jeffrey Epstein? No one knows who that is. This is a stupid story, Robach said. It was unbelievable what we had, Clinton, we had everything. Now its all coming out and its like these new revelations and I freaking had it.

ABC has since declared war on the whistleblower who leaked the recording instead of coming down on the executives who buried the story.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department inspector general released a long-anticipated report on the FBIs FISA abuses of four warrants used to conduct surveillance on the Trump campaign.

One of the major revelations to emerge from the report was the confirmation that the sources from the discredited Steele Dossier were relied upon to re-issue the warrants from the FISA courts to continue its deep-state operations. FBI officials knew as early as January of 2017 that the sources were providing junk intelligence and did not include that information in their warrant applications.

The media however, spent years defending the credibility of the Steele Dossier in peddling the Russia hoax.

More:
12 Stories The Media Got Horribly Wrong In 2019 - The Federalist

Donald J. Trump has become the third President in the history of our nation to be impeached by the House of Representatives for high crimes and misdemeanors against the people of the United States. This moment comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. Democrats have been keeping a tally of the immoral and illegal dealings of this President since his first day in office, vowing to defend the constitution the very moment the President had crossed the line from immoral to unconstitutional. Republicans have known since the Democrats won the House of Representatives that impeachment was likely- they too have watched the President act in unethical ways time and time again and knew that as soon as he crossed a line, the Democrats would proceed forward with an impeachment investigation.

Yesterday, as I watched the eight hours of debates on the House floor over the articles of impeachment being presented, I began to be reminded of a truth that we all know, but so easily forget: our country is irreconcilably divided. We literally live in (at least) two fundamentally different realities. As each Republican stepped up and claimed that this impeachment was nothing more than a witch-hunt and was based on made up charges, I wondered how anyone could interpret the facts this way. As Democrats testified time and time again, the President has admitted wrongdoing. He had, in fact, used his power to attempt to coerce a foreign government into helping him win the 2020 election. Yet the two sides seemed unable to convince each other of their perspective. They didnt seem interested in trying.

Then I logged on to Twitter. I saw my feed filled with my liberal friends rejoicing over the impeachment vote- and I joined them. But my curiosity led me to head over to President Trumps feed and follow some of his fans- and they were tweeting with palpable fury that this entire hearing was a sham, proclaiming that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, and this was nothing more than the Democrats trying to remove Trump out of fear that he was going to win the 2020 election. They posted news stories and opinion pieces from sources I have honestly never heard of and claimed that the mainstream media that I was reading that offered evidence of Trumps wrongdoing was fake news and political propaganda. Nothing I could say would convince any of these Trump supporters, because all of the evidence I could provide was written off as fake. Nothing they could say could convince me, because the evidence and arguments they put forward seemed to me to bewellfake.

This is where we are at as a country. We are literally living in two realities. We cant even determine the basis for what reality even is. This isnt exaggeration. When we cannot agree on what is real, when be believe that the other side is producing fake information to deceive us, and that the motives of the other are truly nefarious and evil, how can we possibly move forward? How can we possibly have a generative future together? I dont mean to sound alarmist, but historically circumstances like these usually lead to war- literally fighting to determine who is the most powerful, and therefore, gets to determine what is right and true. And the fury that I saw last night, in the red face of President Trump at his rally and between both Democrats and Republicans on Twitter make it seem that we really, truly, are at war. Not over political positions, not over who should occupy the White House. Were at war to determine what is fundamentally real.

From where I sit, it seems to me that there is only one potential path to bring us back from the brink of actual war with each other: all of us must put the common good and public service before party allegiance. Those of us on both sides who have not bought into conspiracy theories and complete caricatures of our political others must come to the table together and hash out what is actually, factually true. This would require the sacrifice of party allegiance for all of us, and the ability to truly see things as they are. I have to believe that most Republicans know that Democrats never had a secret plot to seek to remove the President just because they didnt think they could win an election. I have to believe that most Democrats know that many Republicans are deeply disturbed by the Presidents behavior and somewhere deep down would like to hold him accountable (and have said as much). If both sides would truly put public service first, instead of maintaining power, then perhaps we can walk the country back from the edge of yet another civil war.

And I should make another fact clear: While I do think both Democrats and Republicans hold some degree of culpability in creating this divisive moment, it is clear that the bulk of the confusion going around in this moment has stemmed from Republican leaders legitimizing alt-right conspiracy theories. When the President of the United States regularly retweets stories that he knows are false but paint a favorable narrative of him, when Senators give interviews to conspiracy theory sites like Breitbart or One American News, they are legitimizing the disregard for truth and reality. Sure, doing so is politically expedient for them. It absolutely helps them win elections. But it also is eroding millions of Americans ability to distinguish what is real and what is true- and this is not something that can easily be undone.

I am naturally an optimistic person, and I want to end this reflection with hope- but the truth is, I am not hopeful. I believe that the love of power and influence is going to outweigh the desire to do what is right. I really do believe that millions of conservative Americans are going to buy into truly outlandish, fake news and become filled with uncontainable rage that is going to manifest somehow in the future. I really do believe that millions of progressive Americans are going to continue to grow to believe that most conservatives lack a moral foundation and should not be given a hearing or consideration. And if we continue to grow in these two polar opposite directions, the only result will be the fundamental erosion of our democracy. No election will solve this problem- whoever the next President will be will face threats of impeachment and a complete partisan stalemate that will make it nearly impossible to govern.

Nothing short of a miracle can change the direction our country is heading. Nothing short of a true political revolution, that called our leaders away from party and back to a posture of service. Nothing short of a return to honesty in the public square, rather than whatever theories garner support for our party will save us from this era of division.I truly hope that this will some day become our reality. But as for today, I am not very hopeful. I believe we may truly be witnessing the end of the American experiment. And until we awaken to the truth of this harrowing reality, I have little faith that anything will change in our country.

Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.

What is truth? retorted Pilate.

John 18:37-38

More here:
What Is Truth?: Witnessing The End of the American Experiment - Patheos

When we arrived at the museum on the northern edge of Tehrans Shahr Park on a drizzly late October morning, we were greeted by the museums director, Mohammad Reza Taghipoor Moghadam who, I couldnt help but notice, had no legs. As he wheeled himself into the museum, my companions and I followed closely behind.

After entering the compact round building, we gathered in a small room where Moghadam introduced us to his colleagues, Mr. Mohammadi, who was wearing dark sunglasses even on the dreary morning, and Mr. Roostapour who wore no glasses but, like Mr. Mohammadi, suffered from damage to his eyes and lungs resulting from chemical warfare.

As veterans of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), all three men bore grave injuries more than 30 years after the war had ended. Today they welcome visitors to the Tehran Peace Museum where they discuss the history of the brutal war, describing how Iraq, under Saddam Hussein who was aided with intelligence and arms provided by the United States, used chemical weapons against Iranians and Kurds.

Three veterans of the Iran-Iraq war talk about the effects of war on soldiers and civilians at the Tehran Peace Museum with a group of visiting Americans.

Jon Letman

One museum display states that some 65,000 Iranian civilians and military veterans still suffer chronic health problems from those attacks. Standing before exhibits detailing how civilians were victims of the war, the three veterans spoke about the suffering caused by nuclear weapons, poison gas, nerve agents, incendiary munitions, cluster bombs, conventional rockets, missiles, mortars and artillery used in wars waged from the air, in the sea, and on the ground by militaries around the world.

As the veterans recounted the human and environmental damage caused by chemical warfare, I thought about Hawaiis own role in testing and training for war.

I recalled how in 1967 the Army conducted Operation Green Mist in which it tested the deadly nerve agent sarin in the Waiakea Forest Reserve on Hawaii Island.

That reminded me of a 2012 Civil Beat report about how some 16,000 bombs filled with mustard agent were dumped by the military in waters off Oahu during World War II.

When Moghadam spoke of the harm from depleted uranium and the environmental damage it causes, Hawaii popped into my head again, specifically the DU previously used at Schofield Barracks and Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii Island.

Although the Iran-Iraq war ended more than 30 years ago, murals depicting soldiers killed in battle are found throughout Iran today.

Jon Letman

As the three men spoke, I thought of the decades of Navy bombing carried out on Kahoolawe which, in turn, made me think of RIMPAC, the international war games Hawaii hosts every two years. I thought of the ships used as target practice in sinking exercises off Kauai, the artillery fired between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the amphibious assaults rehearsed and the urban warfare training drills carried out across Hawaii.

When Moghadam talked about the death, destruction and squandered resources resulting from nuclear weapons, I thought of the Sandia National Laboratorys Kauai Test Site where technology is tested for use in Americas next generation of nuclear weapons, part of a $1.5 trillion modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

This comes as Iran continues to suffer under punishing U.S. sanctions, a policy of maximum pressure, and the threat of war despite Irans compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (i.e., Iran nuclear deal).

Moghadam explained how Iranian civilians, not Irans government, are the primary victims of sanctions that have greatly expanded into a complex spider web-like network that isolates ordinary Iranian citizens from global commercial and financial systems. Intensified U.S. sanctions restrict almost everything coming into Iran including life-saving medicines and medical equipment things like respirators, air purifiers, and wheelchairs that these veterans rely on.

Civilian people who are not politicians do not deserve to be affected by sanctions, Moghadam said, adding war is a great business for countries.

Indeed, war is good business. In Hawaiis case, the business of war often called defense is central to Hawaiis economy. Military, weapons and war are Hawaiis second largest sector of its economy with Hawaii ranking second in the nation for its defense spending as a percentage of state GDP, and third highest for defense spending per resident. In 2017, more than 81,000 military personnel and civilians were employed by the defense sector, reported to generate over $14 billion for Hawaiis economy.

From our congressional delegation who proudly announce securing military contracts, to our local leaders who are almost universally on board with military projects, to our families who have become dependent on military-related jobs, to our schools which cooperate with the military and are eager to expand STEM programs that will train Hawaiis youth to pursue careers in the military, intelligence, or security, Hawaii is steeped in war.

We remain complicit in the suffering of the victims of war.

We all know what war is and what it does. As former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee so crudely said in a 2016 GOP presidential debate, the purpose of the military is kill people and break things.

All too often in Hawaii, we not only support but also celebrate our own role in wars fought in someone elses country. As long as we accept or encourage Hawaii to be a place that facilitates the business of war, we will remain complicit in the suffering of the victims of war.

Even when we talk about living aloha and the cost of war, unless we are sincere in our opposition to supporting Hawaiis war industry, we are the ones who dont have legs to stand on.

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Trip To Iran Triggers Thoughts Of Hawaii's Role In War - Honolulu Civil Beat

Israel's Minister of Social Equality, Gila Gamliel says that the Islamic Revolution in 1979 in Iran forced tens of thousands of Jewish people to leave $31.3 billion of their assets and properties behind when they fled the country.

"After a two-year clandestine research, the Israeli Prime Minister's cabinet has concluded that the total wealth left behind by the Jews in Iran and Arab countries amounts to nearly $150 billion," Gamliel maintained.

Gamliel launched the classified project in 2017, teaming up with Israel's National Security Council, whose purpose was to evaluate the total sum of the property and assets that were left behind by Jews who had to flee Iran and Arab countries.

Based on the research, Israeli media report that Netanyahu is planning to force Iran and several Arab lands to pay compensation for the wealth left by the Jews.

The decision means that in any future talks with Iran and Arab governments, Israel will be obliged to table the subject and demand compensation.

According to a study by the Museum of the Diaspora, more than 700,000 Jews from Arab countries and Iran migrated to Israel, mostly in the second half of the 20th century, including nearly 400,000 from North Africa. The remainder arrived from Iraq, Yemen, and other countries.

It is hard to say how many Jews were forced out of these countries by governments, but most left because they had no choice given the prevailing anti-Semitic propaganda and serious intimidation.

It is the first time that the Israel has compiled comprehensive data on this issue, with significant historical and international political ramifications, Israel Hayom reported.

Gamliel is set to officially present the report to the government in the coming weeks.

Initially, in February 2010, the Knesset approved the Law for Preservation of the Rights to Compensation of Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran. Article 3 of the law stipulates, "Within the framework of negotiations to achieve peace in the Middle East, the government will include the issue of compensation for the lost property of Jewish refugees from Arab lands and Iran, including property owned by the Jewish communities of those lands." In the meantime, the Israeli prime minister was made responsible for advancing the provisions of the law.

"This is nothing less than the beginning of correction of the injustice of historic proportions," Gamliel was quoted as saying. "We will now be able to restore the property and wealth of hundreds of thousands of Jews, as part of the narrative of how a small state absorbed so many people after they were turned into penniless refugees."

The study breaks down the value of assets and population numbers for several of the countries, with assets including land, homes, savings, and businesses. Over 100,000 Jews lived in Iran, with assets of $31.3 billion; there were 38,000 Jews in Libya, who were stripped of $6.7 billion in assets; Yemen had 55,000 Jews, who had $2.6 billion in assets; neighboring Aden had a community of 8,000 Jews, with $700 million in assets; and in Syria, 30,000 Jews forced to leave the country left behind $1.4 billion in assets, the daily newspaper of Torah Jewry, Hamodia reports.

In the meantime, the research shows that only 10,000 Jews are left in Iran and just twenty Syria, while no Jews are living in Libya and Yemen.

Visit link:
Israel Will Seek $31 Billion Compensation From Iran For Jewish Property - RadioFarda

At least 304 people have been killed, with many more wounded and thousands arrested after tens of thousands of people from all over Iran and representing all segments of society have exercised their fundamental right to freedom of assembly.... in the largest-scale unrest in 40 years, warn MEPs in the resolution adopted on Thursday by show of hands.

Nationwide protests in Iran started on 15 November, after the government announced a 50 percent increase in the price of fuel. The authorities have reacted in an unacceptable manner, MEPs say, urging Iranian authorities to disclose the total number of deaths and detainees, and inform all families where their relatives are being detained. Allegations of excessive use of force must be promptly investigated and all perpetrators must be brought to justice.

They also demand that Iran immediately release Sakharov prize laureate Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is still imprisoned serving a sentence of 33 years and 148 lashes.

Online service blockage

MEPs strongly condemn Irans decision to shut down internet access to global networks, as this is preventing communication and the free flow of information for Iranian citizens and is a clear violation of the freedom of speech.

Calling on Iranian authorities to live up to their international obligations, MEPs urge EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell to continue raising human rights concerns with Iranian authorities at bilateral and multilateral meetings.

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MEPs condemn violent crackdown on the recent protests in Iran | News - EU News