Two Terror Attacks, Two Distinct Media Scandals

The NYC Attack Was Covered Corruptly, the KC Attack Was Scarcely Covered

CNN got caught this time. So outrageous was its coverage of Saturday’s terror attack in New York City that its editors were forced to apologize. For those who may not have seen CNN’s original tweet, it is posted below:

Most of the criticism was directed at the romanticization of the plight of these “teenagers”. They were 18 and 19 respectively, both legal adults. Their names—Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi—might suggest motive. If the names were not enough, their ISIS hand gestures and shouts of “Allah Akbar” could have provided a clue.

Even more misleading is the phrase “during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mandami’s home.” The reader is led to believe the teenagers were part of the protest and the target was the personal home of the Muslim Mandami. In fact, the protest was held, as protests often are, at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of any New York City mayor. More to the point, the misguided teens threw their anti-personnel bombs at the police and the protestors, not at the mayor’s home. Stung by the criticism, CNN purged the tweet and responded.

No, not that easy, CNN. The failure to assess the “gravity” of the incident was CNN’s lesser sin. The graver sin was the editors’ deliberate effort to conceal certain facts and obfuscate certain others to deflect criticism away from their Islamic allies.

So much for the New York City attack, which has been well covered, at least by conservative media. The Kansas City attack is another story. As I reported previously, a woman in Kansas City set fire to a warehouse that she believed was to be used as an ICE detention facility. A local TV news crew just happened to be there covering the controversy around the building.

The KMBC crew recorded the incident, called 911, and captured the license plate of the woman as she drove way. They shared this footage with the Kansas City Police Department. What they failed to do was interview the woman. After setting the fires and refreshing them with a second dose of accelerant, she sat down and made a phone call. The TV crew may have been startled by her very accessibility. In any case, there is no doubt what she looks like:

Although the above image has been slightly enhanced by AI, it is as clear a look as a felon in action as the police will ever be handed. I would love to hear from anyone reading this article who knows this woman. Hundreds of people must. Despite my best efforts, I am not one of them.

The media have been no help at all. This arson attack took place on February 12. KMBC gave the story two days of coverage, the other local media one day. KCTV-5 captured the dominant media spin with a CNN-worthy headline, “Mayor, county leader criticize federal government after arson attempt at south KC warehouse.” No, make that Babylon Bee-worthy.

Days after the fire, I called the Kansas City Police Department asking if an arrest had been made. It had not. The KCPD referred me to the FBI. The FBI referred me to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the agency that investigates arson as well as the illegal use of firearms, explosives, and the trafficking of alcohol/tobacco. The ATF reports to the Department of Justice, and the ball, I have learned, is in its court.

Mayor Quinton Lucas: "I'll trust the courts, our local prosecutors and law enforcement in Kansas City to handle the offender." Handle?

I will say that everyone with whom I have communicated has been cordial. On March 10, I spoke with Ashlee, a public information officer with the ATF. This was the third time we’ve spoken. As always, she was engaging, even amusing, but not exactly helpful.

On this occasion, I asked why in New York City arrests were made and publicized immediately, but in Kansas City no arrests seem to have been made at all. Nor had there been any BOLOs—Be On the Look Out—issued for the woman in question. Ashlee told me different cases unfold in different ways. Again, she promised to update me when she had news to report.

There is a freedom that comes with being an independent investigator, but there are limitations, one of which is the inability to bring pressure on a given institution. The mainstream media, local and national, won’t bring it. They want this story to go away. The Jackson County, Missouri, Prosecutor would just as soon bury it as well.

As I mentioned to Ashlee, the story may be changing from who did the crime to who killed the investigation. I hope not, but after a month, I grow suspicious.