The Covington Catholic High School student who was at the center of a manufactured media firestorm over a viral video last year, blasted the MSM in his speech to the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, and urged the nation to demand that the U.S. media “return to objective journalism.”
Thanks to media’s the sloppy, one-sided reporting, the Covington boys and their families became the subjects of threats and harassment from a hateful online outrage mob.
Nick Sandmann, now an 18-year-old graduate, slammed the media for recklessly smearing his reputation for no other reason than to advance their “anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative.”
The teen recalled how the media defamed him after his encounter with a group of protesters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Earlier that day, he explained, he had attended the annual March For Life in Washington DC and had bought a “Make America Great Hat” at a gift shop “because our President Donald Trump had distinguished himself as one of the most pro-life president in the history of our country and I wanted to express support for him, too.”
Sandmann went on to note that the simple act of wearing the MAGA hat had “unleashed” hatred from the left and had made himself “a target of networks and cable news networks nationwide.”
He described his face-off with “professional protester” Nathan Phillips, who had banged his drum and chanted in his face on that fateful January day in 2019.
“The media portrayed me as an aggressor with a relentless smirk on my face,” Sandmann recalled. “In reality, the video confirms I was standing there with my hands behind my back and an awkward smile on my face.”
The teen explained what was going through his mind as the bizarre scene played out.
“One: don’t do anything that might further agitate the man banging a drum in front of my face, and two: I was trying to follow a family friend’s advice. Never to do anything to embarrass your family, your school, or your community.”
He said the strange encounter was over, “one of Mr. Phillip’s fellow agitators yelled out, ‘we got ’em. It’s all right here on video. And we one, grandpa.”
Following the incident, Sandman said his life “changed forever,” as the “full war machine of the mainstream media revved up into attack mode.”
He pointed out that multiple media outlets “did so without researching the full video of the incident, without ever investigating Mr. Phillips’ motives, or without asking me for my side of the story.”
Sandmann explained why the MSM didn’t do their due diligence.
” Because the truth was not important. Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered, and if advancing their narrative ruined the reputation and future of a teenager from Covington, Kentucky—well so bit it. That will teach him not to wear a MAGA hat.”
Sandmann said he has since learned that there is name for what happened to him.
“It was called being cancelled,” he said, noting that people all over the country are also being cancelled for holding politically incorrect positions, often with the media’s complicity.
“But I would not be canceled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage,” he said. “I know President Trump hopes for that too.”
Earlier this year, Sandmann settled for undisclosed amounts with both CNN and The Washington Post.
“I know you’ll agree with me when I say no one in this country has been a victim of unfair media coverage more than President Donald Trump,” Sandmann added.
He continued: “In November, I believe this country must unite around a president who calls the media out and refuses to allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts. I believe we must join with a president who will challenge the media to return to objective journalism.”
He added: “I believe we must all embrace our First Amendment rights and not hide in fear of the media, or from the tech companies, or from the outrage mob either.”
Sandmann concluded by saying: “And one more thing: Let’s make America great again,” while plopping a red MAGA hat onto his head.
pic.twitter.com/HPiYe2Kcxz https://t.co/5TxPxdJ4Fh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020