Blackout on Knockout

Let’s play a guessing game. What’s the missing word?

(CNN) — Phoebe Connolly, a possible victim of game where teenagers appear to sucker-punch strangers, is encouraging people to think critically about how such attacks can be stopped.

Connolly was biking in the Columbia Heights area of Washington this month when she was struck. She had passed through a group of teenagers, she said, when one of them “reached out and punched me in the face.”

Let me give you a hint: it is missing in front of the word “teenagers.”

There is a ban on the word in the media when crimes of violence are concerned.[amazon asin=B009KBLCZC&template=*lrc ad (right)]

It is not one of George Carlin’s seven forbidden words.

If there is a photo of a knockout attack, the mainstream media will sometimes run it. That is because photos increase the number of page readers. But still the word is not used in the article discussing the attack.

The public knows what this word is. The reporters know, too. Everyone knows. So, the mainstream media get a free ride. “Don’t ask. Don’t tell.”

If pressed by critics, representatives occasionally justify this omission. The various justifications are a cover-up. The representatives know this. So does the person asking the question. So do readers. No further questions are asked.

There is no formal agreement, but the agreement is honored.

The agreement is a sign of what is wrong with America. A huge game of “play pretend” is widespread. Like knockout, it is not a game.

The omission is evidence of mainstream media bias. It is another reason why a majority of Americans are finding new sources of information.

Continue Reading on www.cnn.com

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