Deconstructing the media response to the Duck Dynasty scandal

Phil_RobertsonIn case you have been off-planet for the last week, there is a media firestorm surrounding comments made by Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson concerning those in the LGBT community.

But, unlike every other writer on the internet, I am not here to discuss those comments or how A&E has handled the controversy. Rather, I want to look at the media’s response and how it compares to incidents where other groups of American’s have been similarly attacked.

So what kind of media response did the Duck Dynasty scandal receive?  The term ‘media firestorm’, which I used earlier, was custom made to describe what we are seeing in every major news outlet.  E-Online called it one of the top stories of the week … and that is in a week in which Congress reauthorized the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial. So clearly the media considers this an important story.

In fact, there have literally been hundreds upon hundreds of reports. I would go so far as to say that no one who owns a radio, TV, or internet browser could have failed to hear about Phil’s GQ interview and the public relations nightmare it has caused for both the show and for A&E.

But do not misunderstand me.  I am not criticizing the media for covering this issue. I believe that this issue justifies the amount of coverage it is receiving.  On the one hand, you have members of the LGBT community who feel that A&E is providing a forum for someone who holds their very existence in disdain.  On the other hand, you have Christians who believe that their voice in American culture is being systematically stifled.

Regardless of which side you are on, the media is doing what it should be doing … reporting on the concerns of those groups of Americans so that the rest of us can be informed.

But that willingness to report is sorely lacking when the people being attacked are gun owners.

Let’s look at a few examples.

When University of Kansas journalism professor David Warner Guth called for the murder of NRA member’s children and for God to damn them, the media largely looked the other way.


John-CobarruviasWhen John Carburruvius, a prominent member of the Texas Democrat Executive Committee, called for the murder of NRA members and “everyone who defends them,” there was almost no coverage at all.  His followup that they “need to [be] wiped off the face of the earth” was not enough to make the comment newsworthy.


LoomisWhen University of Rhode Island history professor Erik Loomis went on a rage-filled tirade in which he a) called for the assassination of NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, b) called all NRA members murderers, and c) called NRA members terrorists, you could have heard a pin drop.


SwindellWhen Christopher Swindell, a journalism professor at Marshall University in West Virginia, declared all NRA members to be traitors who should be executed by firing squad, there was no outrage from the mainstream media.


NainanWhen comedian Dan Nainan expressed a wish that a mass shooting take place “at the offices of the NRA.” … crickets.


donald-kaulIn fact, sometimes the media themselves are the ones attacking gun owners.  Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul joined the attack on gun owners when he called for the government to “declare the NRA a terrorist organization and make membership illegal … [then] raze the organization’s headquarters, clear the rubble and salt the earth.

As for the members themselves, if they oppose his efforts, he would see the government kill them and then begin “prying the guns from their cold, dead hands

If politicians refuse to accede to his demands then he calls for them to be tied “to the back of a Chevy pickup truck and [would] drag them around a parking lot until they saw the light.

His fellow journalists seemed more than willing to look the other way as he spewed his hate-filled manifesto.


I could go on and on.  But you get the picture.

Is there any wonder why gun owners consider the media to be the lap-dogs of the gun control movement?  No amount of hatred or threats is considered newsworthy if the victim is a gun owner.

You can either be an advocate or and objective reporter but only where gun control is concerned does the media claim to be both.

About John Pierce

Monachus Lex is written by Virginia attorney John Pierce. John is a life-long gun rights advocate, an NRA certified instructor and co-founder of the nationwide gun rights group OpenCarry.org.

He has an undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems, an MBA from George Mason University and is a 2012 Honors Graduate of Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, MN.

Professionally, John is a member of the American Bar Association Second Amendment Civil Rights Litigation Subcommittee and his writings have been published by the ABA Civil Rights Litigation Committee and the ABA Minority Trial Lawyer Committee.

In addition, his open carry advocacy has been featured on Nightline and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
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2 Responses to Deconstructing the media response to the Duck Dynasty scandal

  1. Grapeshot says:

    The media’s agenda regarding guns is all to clear……disarming is it not?

    People are becoming dissatisfied with the one sided presentation of the news and and the insult of being told what is right. People can judge for themselves and they are, in ever increasing numbers.

  2. WTF1920 says:

    I’ve noticed that too. When gun owners are targeted, it’s ok.

    From seeing people post on the internet about the Zimmerman trial, I’ve learned a couple things that I was a little too comfortable not knowing. Some of it is unsettling to say the least.

    A: It is a documented fact that the media edited that phone call Zimmerman made to the police moments before the fatal shooting. In doing so, they made him sound like he was a racist and opened him up to all the death threats and all the general hell he went through. Whether they did this on purpose or on accident is not what bothers me.
    What bothers me is how the “progressive community” is always bitching about brainwashing, propaganda, unfairness, and social engineering. But when “their” side of
    the media does it, then they all of the sudden believe what they’re told and see no irony in it whatsoever. I’m not saying people who listen to FOX news act any differently, I’m saying we need to take a long look at what the hell we’re becoming, and how we’re going to end up. Because quite frankly, I don’t think the guns are the fuckin’ problem…at some point we’re gonna have to face the facts. It’s the media, along with our willingness to blindly believe in everything they tell us.

    B: I found out what can really go on inside the hearts and minds of these gun-control proponents and so-called “pacifists.” You see, some of these pacifists are not really against violence at all…They’re just afraid of getting their hands red, and a lot of times it turns out they WANT other people to do violence on their behalf. As long as it’s not THEM who’s covered in blood, they can keep lookin’ good. They seemed to be having a pretty good time LOLing about how badly Zimmerman would “get raped in prison” if he was found guilty. Some people posted death threats and Zimmermans home address on websites. Someone on 4chan even posted the address of his
    parents house and simply stated, “you guys know what to do”!

    Just think; we share public space with these kinds of people, and it might even be someone who you’d never suspect to have this kind of attitude. Maybe it’s one of your neighbors, coworkers, or friends. Maybe it was the last guest you had, and they were standing right there in your living room. You should be far FAR more disturbed by this than you should be of people like me owning AR-15’s and AK-47’s! Nevermind the guns, be worried about the sick disgusting shit that goes on inside peoples brains when mob mentality takes hold and the thin veneer of “civility” peels off.

    Something tells me if George didn’t have a gun and Trayvon would have beaten him into having permanent brain damage, none of these race-baiting dumbasses would have cared. Or if George would have went to prison, they would have high-fived
    each other over the beatings and assrape that he most likely would have received. This is the definition of evil, these people are what nightmares are made of, and they are far worse than the so-called “killers” they condemn!

    I’m not so sure if I want to give up my guns when sick animals like this are running around trying to push their version of “justice”. This isn’t even about Trayvon or George anymore, this is about people exposing themselves for the monsters they were all along. These are the LAST people who should be passing judgement on ANYBODY for defending themselves! And yet, there they sit posting someones house address online hoping some overzealous dumbfuck does something to either him or his family.

    So yeah, just something to think about next time someone talks about how “violent” gun owners are.

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