A Closer Look at Murdoch's NY Post Editorial on Eric Garner's Death vis a vis Officer Pantaleo
A Union Busting Billionaire's Newspaper Writes an Opinion Omitting Key Facts
The Post's Editorial Reminded me of the Prosecutor's Case in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
August 14, 2019 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
In the 1962 film [based on the 1960 book by Harper Lee] 'To Kill a Mockingbird', attorney Atticus Finch takes up the defense of an African American, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman in a small, rural town in Alabama. The verdict is a foregone conclusion in the Depression era deep south, but Atticus Finch does his best to defend Tom, and in doing so, finds plenty of holes in the prosecutor's case. Similarly, I also found holes in Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board's case, which are provided below. The issue of race was an underlying issue in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and there are many who believe there's an underlying race issue here.
Murdoch's New York Post Editorial, in a Nutshell, Seems to Tell Why America, Britain & Australia are Divided
By the end of August, NY Police Commissioner James O'Neill will decide whether to keep Officer Daniel Pantaleo on the New York City Police Force. The union boss of the NY Patrolmen's Benevolent Association [NYPBA], Patrick Lynch, came out strongly in favor of keeping Pantaleo on the NY police force, stating that, "He's [Pantaleo] has done nothing wrong." I've provided information taken from a number of different, generally reliable sources, down below, including a link a live video of the incident, so you can cut & paste into your browser, and see / judge for yourself.
The NY Post Editorial Board should be ashamed of itself for such a shoddy, one-sided presentation of the facts used in their opinion. That the highest ranking members of one of America's largest newspapers would publish such rubbish, provides added support to the notion that the union busting billionaire who controls the paper, is a predator propagandist. All of the members of the NY Post 'Editorial Board' who didn't strongly object to this opinion should be fired and Rupert Murdoch should be asked to resign as Chairman of the Board at Newscorp.
Murdoch's New York Post Cherry Picked the Facts for their Opinion
Murdoch and his NY Post Editorial Board didn't sign their names to the Editorial, but rather chosed to hide behind their newspaper brand. On August 1, 2019 Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board's opinion headline read,
"The Facts Say: Do Not Fire Daniel Pantaleo".
Yes, Murdoch's NY Post's CHERRY-PICKED facts might say that. But if provided a full reading of the facts, the full facts might say just the opposite. Let's start with the live video, so you can take a look for yourself, before we delve into the background information. If you want, you may cut and paste this into your browser bar to view the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8JklrBSlk
NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo was recorded on video making the arrest of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was a six foot three, 350 pound, African American who was allegedly illegally selling cigarettes on the street. It's worth noting that Garner had had a number of previous encounters with the police and that Pantaleo had previously been charged in two civil rights lawsuits.
Five Key Omissions by Murdoch's New York Post Editorial Board
NY POST KEY OMISSION I - Pantaleo's complaint history was not included in Murdoch's NY Post opinion, while some of Garner's history with the law was.
- CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the Eric Garner Death, Daniel Pantaleo's Future, NYPBA union boss Pat Lynch and Union Busting Billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
A Closer Look at Murdoch's NY Post Editorial on Daniel Pantaleo
A Union Busting Billionaire's Newspaper Writes an Opinion Omitting Key Facts
The Post's Editorial Reminded me of the Prosecutor's Case in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
August 14, 2019 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Continued.
Five Key Omissions by Murdoch's New York Post Editorial Board
I. NY POST KEY OMISSION - Pantaleo's Prior Complaint History
Pantaleo's complaint history was not included in Murdoch's NY Post opinion, while some of Garner's history with the law was.
I found the report on the Death of Eric Garner by Wikipedia to provide what seemed a fair rendering of the facts about Garner and Pantaleo [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Eric_Garner] which are as follows.
"Garner had been arrested by the NYPD more than thirty times since 1980 on charges such as assault, resisting arrest, and grand larceny.[10][11] According to an article in The New York Times many of these arrests had been for allegedly selling unlicensed cigarettes.[12] In 2007, he filed a handwritten complaint[13] in federal court accusing a police officer of conducting a cavity search of him on the street, "digging his fingers in my rectum in the middle of the street" while people passed by.[6] Garner had, according to The New York Times, "recently ... told lawyers at Legal Aid that he intended to take all the cases against him to trial".[6] At the time of the incident, he was out on bail for selling untaxed cigarettes, driving without a license, marijuana possession, and false impersonation.[14]"
"Daniel Pantaleo is a New York City Police Department officer who was, at the time of Garner's death, age 29 and living on Staten Island.[15] He joined the NYPD in 2006 after graduating from High School and with a bachelor's degree from the College of Staten Island. Pantaleo was the subject of two civil rights lawsuits in
2013, where plaintiffs accused him of falsely arresting them and abusing them. In one of the cases, he and other officers allegedly ordered two black men to strip naked on the street for a search and the charges against the men were dismissed.[16][17][18][19]."
It's also worth mentioning that the NYPD stated that Pantaleo is a 13 year police veteran who has made an estimated 3,000 arrests [local late news on network TV 8/19/19].
II. KEY NY POST OMISSION - Garner's Death was Ruled a Homicide
Garner's death was ruled a homicide, which according to Wikipedia is by definition
"a death caused by the intentional actions of another person or persons, which is not necessarily an intentional death or a criminal death.[65]"
The homicide ruling would seem to contradict what Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board insinuated in its opinion on August 1, 2019 where they stated that,
"Medical reports differ over whether the officer's move constituted a "chokehold" barred by the department and how much it played a role in Garner's death. Yet Garner's health -- he suffered from heart disease, asthma and obesity -- was definitely a contributing factor, as the city's medical examiner found."
"Indeed, at the NYPD's administrative trial against Pantaleo in June, the chief medical examiner for St. Louis, Michael Graham, testified that medical issues were responsible for Garner's death, not a chokehold."
And while Murdoch's NY Post alludes to conflicting testimony, they only provide visibility on the facts that supports their narrative, rather than letting the narrative arise out of a review of all the facts. I've been watching Murdoch and his mendacious minions for some time now, and they seem never to let the facts get in the way of the sensationalized, politicized or racialized story they want to tell.
To give you a fuller view, the following Wikipedia's report included detail on the various, and at times conflicting testimony included in the various medical examiners' reports.
"On August 1, Garner's death was found by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office to have resulted from "compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police".[1][66][67] Asthma, heart disease, and obesity were cited as contributing factors.[68] There was no damage to the trachea (windpipe) or neckbones,[69] which--according to Pantaleo--was one factor in NYPD Chief Surgeon Eli Kleinman's contrary conclusion in an internal report that Pantaleo did not put Garner into a chokehold.[70]"
"An independent autopsy conducted by Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, agreed with the findings of the New York City Medical Examiner's Office and concluded that Garner's death was primarily caused by "compression of the neck". Baden reported finding hemorrhaging around Garner's neck, which was indicative of neck compression.[71]"
The Wikipedia report provides one with a different impression than the NY Post editorial published by the union busting billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
III & IV NY POST KEY OMISSIONS - Garner had no Weapon & there were Four Other Police Officers Present
So think about this. Eric Garner is allegedly found selling cigarettes illegally on the street, and Garner is subsequently surrounded by FIVE police officers [not mentioned in the NY Post Editorial], where Garner is brought to the ground. Garner had no weapon [not mentioned in the NY Post Editorial], is on the ground surrounded by four other officers, and Pantaleo has a [illegal?] chokehold on him, during which time Garner says eleven times, "I can't breathe."
Murdochs' NY Post Editorial Board goes on,
"Prosecutors on Staten Island presented the case to a grand jury, and after two months, it declined to indict Pantaleo. The US Department of Justice then took up the case, and local FBI investigators and federal prosecutors agreed that charges should not be brought. Last month, US Attorney General William Barr, too, said Pantaleo should not face charges."
"If Pantaleo is fired, how are other cops to be expected to do their duty -- confronting someone who resists arrest -- knowing they may lose their jobs, and careers, if things go wrong?"
Officer Pantaleo, didn't let up on a [illegal?] chokehold he has on a guy - in what appears a non-threatening situation. The guy is alleged to have committed a low level offense [selling cigarettes], is unarmed, and Officer Pantaleo is assisted by four other officers in this neighborhood arrest. Use the video link provided above to see for yourself how this arrest was made.
According to Findlaw.com excessive force is described as,
"Excessive force refers to situations where government officials legally entitled to use force exceed the minimum amount necessary to diffuse an incident or to protect themselves or others from harm."
V. KEY NY POST OMISSIONS - No Mention is Made of NYPD Administrative Judge's Ruling to Fire Pantaleo
Murdoch's NY Post makes no Mention of the NYPD Administrative Judge's decision recommending the termination of Daniel Pantaleo. According to an August 2, 2019 AM New York report,
"A New York Police Department administrative judge on Friday recommended that Daniel Pantaleo, the white police officer who used a fatal chokehold on an unarmed black man during an arrest in 2014, be fired, a city oversight body said."
The NY Post failed to include this Judge's determination in their Editorial nor did they include it in another early August report. This would seem a key fact. And for the top brass of the Editorial Board of Murdoch's newspaper, which is one of the largest in the nation - to exclude it - is MEDIA MALPRACTICE.
Get the Original - Murdoch-Method Fake News Lobotomy
Murdoch's NY Post Makes their Readers Confidently Ignorant & then Innoculates them to the Truth by Including Labels they can Use to Shut Down Conversations When Challenged with All of the Facts
Murdoch's NY Post again resorts to labeling those who disagree with them as,
"... anti-cop activists and demagogic pols have distorted this case, inflaming it for their own purposes."
Murdoch's NY Post's dishonest rendering by providing only some of the facts - as shown above - doesn't seem enough. So Murdoch's propaganda machine oftentimes appears to inoculate its audience from the truth, after they've made them ignorant. By providing their audience with labels / names such as the ones above so they can categorize / spot and shutdown anyone who disagrees with them, innoculating them from learning anything other than Murdoch's minions' cherry-picked facts. And like any super-slick propaganda salesperson, Murdoch's minions assure their readers, it is they who are in the right, as Murdoch's NY Post ends the opinion piece saying,
"Clear headed New Yorkers will understand ...".
Yes, clear headed readers like those reading the NY Post Editorial Board's opinion, received a Murdoch method FAKE NEWS LOBOTOMY on all things concerning Eric Garner and Daniel Pantaleo. This ensures that while their readers won't really know what they're talking about, they'll be confident that they do. And for those who disagree with them - well then - Murdoch's folks warned them about you - you're a 'cop hater'.
You have to admit, that the Murdoch method fake news lobotomy is a pretty slick, nifty-difty, predatory propaganda-for-profit, con job.
And yes, while it seems plainly dishonest like any con, it's how Murdoch and his minions make so much dishonest money. But it's been very profitable for Murdoch, who is now reportedly worth about $20 billion. Not bad for a union busting propagandist.
The Union Busting NY Post Billionaire Appears to Use his Overwhelming Share of Mass Media to Demonically Label Anyone who Disagrees with Him
Murdoch's NY Post published at least a couple of stories in support of union boss Patrick Lynch's position on retaining Daniel Pantaleo on the NY police force. The stories accused those who don't agree with the NYPBA union boss and Rupert Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board, as being "cop haters". Murdoch's NY Post then goes on to hype fear that the city will fall into lawlessness, if we don't do what Murdoch's NY Post and NYPBA union boss Patrick Lynch tell us to do [NY Post on July 28th and August 1, 2019].
Murdoch's NY Post employed this same SCARE TACTIC in the run up to the re-election of Mayor de Blasio in 2016. The NY Post screaming Murdoch's unique brand of fake news to their readers, that the 'Bad Old Days are Back" [NY Post February 20, 2016]. This headline ran contrary to the facts, which clearly showed that NYC's crime rates were at record lows. Murdoch and his mendacious minions seem never to let the facts get in the way of them telling the story they want their audience to believe.
Murdoch's Mass Market Manufacturing of Divisive Labels
Murdoch's Mass Media Stoke Divisiveness Dishing Out Negative Labels to Those Who Disagree with Them
What, Pray Tell, is a Democracy About - if not an Open & Honest Conversation About How we are to Govern Ourselves?
Murdoch's mass media propagandistic attacks on the Mayor seem to be a periodic, if not regular feature on Murdoch's NY Post and Fox News. Murdoch's media create a divisive and toxic environment by labeling those who disagree with them as "cop haters" and use their Pinocchio pundits and lobotomy lying writers to provide Murdoch's mass media audiences with all sorts of other labels they can use to shut down honest conversations about community issues, government officials, or prospective candidates.
The following are just a few of what seems an almost innumerable number of labels put out by the Murdoch propaganda machine every year. For example:
- If you disagree with keeping Pantaleo on the NYPD force - then the NY Post [NY Post August 1, 2019] says you're a "COP HATER".
- If you disagree with Donald Trump - then Sean Hannity [Fox News July 17, 2019] says you're a "TRUMP HATER".
- If you think that climate change is real then the Wall St Journal labels you a member of the "CRAZY LEFT" [WSJ August 1, 2019].
- If you think that curtailing the free-wheeling transfer of guns is ok, then Fox News [Fox News March 2, 2019] labels you a "RADICAL DEMOCRAT" and scaremongers gun owners into thinking you're one of the left wing radicals who will take away their guns .
Notice that all of these are important issues this year, but they represent only the tip of the iceberg of what appears to be Murdoch's Goebbels-style take down of fair, fact-based conversations among the voters of the nation about the issues facing us.
The 'Fox Effect': Murdoch's Mass Media Brands Disinform
The fake news reporters and Pinocchio pundits of Murdoch's mendacious media appear guilty not just of imparting divisive labels for their audience to use on those who disagree with them, but also to disinform their audience by putting out narratives of events so distorted, that they omit key facts, that can completely spin reasonable conclusions around. This was was shown above, in reviewing the omissions of the NY Post's recent Pantaleo Editorial. If you leave out enough facts, you can completely change a story from good to bad or from bad to good.
Studies have repeatedly shown that Murdoch's Fox Fake News, one of the largest TV & cable networks in the nation, near or at the bottom of the journalism class - failing to do even an average job of fairly informing its audience. According to a July 21, 2016 report in Forbes, which discussed research involving 30 different news sources, showed that,
"... those who listed Fox News as one of their news sources had overall lower levels of knowledge on the factual questions."
Forbes goes on to report that this correlation, may or may not be causal, but that it is real.
A study in 2012 by Fairleigh Dickinson University, showed that Fox News viewers were less informed on current events than those who did not follow the news at all. This has since come to be known as the 'Fox Effect'.
Consider the Pantaleo Case in the Abstract
Step back for a minute and consider an analogous situation to the Pantaleo case, but in a couple of other professions.
- For example, if a bus driver had been accused of improper conduct in the past and then appeared to follow improper procedures which resulted in the death of a child - would you want to see that driver dismissed?
- Or consider a nursing operation where a nurse had been reported to have given patients wrong meds in the past and then in an accident gave a med which killed a patient - would you want that nurse to be fired?
If Daniel Pantaleo stays on the force, the Eric Garner case will be front and center for the rest of his career.
Daniel Pantaleo can put this all behind him, by finding another job, which is something he won't be able to do if he stays on the force.
Not to mention the potential future NYPD legal liability risks associated with keeping Pantaleo on the force. And the possibility of additional professional risks to the rest of the NYPD force, if Commissioner O'Neill's decides to retain him, and the decision is widely viewed as racially motivated and / or unjust in many of the communities the NYPD serves.
Pantaleo can find another job. Eric Garner doesn't get a second chance at life.
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