After an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, democratic Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey, told the agency to “get the f*** out of Minneapolis” in a televised speech. On Wednesday morning, a video surfaced appearing to show President Donald Trump mouthing “f*** you” while raising his middle finger at a person who allegedly called him a “pedophile protector” from a crowd.
Though both instances are examples of politicians using expletives and obscene gestures publicly, media across the political spectrum have covered the events differently depending on their bias.
On the Mayor’s Anti-Ice Speech
From the Right:
Outlets on the right tended to emphasize Frey’s use of obscenities by including his quote in headlines.
“Minneapolis Mayor Frey refuses to walk back ‘get the f--- out’ message to ICE”
The New York Post (Lean Right):
“Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tells ICE to ‘get the f–k out’ after agent guns down woman”
Headlines from right-leaning outlets also used subjective adjectives and biased word choices to describe Frey’s address.
New York Post:
From the Left:
Outlets on the left frequently downplayed Frey’s use of expletives, instead focusing on the fatal shooting of Renee Good he was responding to.
“Shock and outrage at scene of Minneapolis ICE shooting: ‘This is just sad’”
“Minneapolis mayor has strong message for ICE after fatal shooting”
“Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey emerges as city's 'emotional voice' following ICE shooting”
The New York Times (Lean Left) ran the headline, “Local Officials Call for Federal Forces to Leave Minneapolis Following Fatal Shooting.” It also omitted the obscene language altogether, instead writing that he asked ICE “agents to get ‘out of Minneapolis’ with an expletive.”
On Trump’s Exchange with Detroit Crowd member:
From the Left:
Despite downplaying the Democratic mayor’s use of swear words to focus on the broader topics of his address to his city, outlets on the left highlighted Trump’s obscene gesture at a crowd member in Detroit in their headlines.
The Guardian (Left):
“Trump gives heckler the middle finger during Michigan Ford plant visit”
The New York Times (Lean Left):
“Trump Makes Obscene Gesture at Heckler in Ford Factory Tour”
CNN (Lean Left):
“Trump flipped off an autoworker at a Ford plant. The White House says it’s ‘appropriate’”
From the Right:
On the other hand, much like how left-leaning outlets reported on Frey’s strong language in the larger context of his city’s recent events, outlets on the right tended to report on the whole exchange between Trump and the bystander rather than focusing on his gesture or language. Right-leaning outlets also tended to use sensational adjectives to paint the crowd member in a negative light with descriptors such as “heckler” and “lunatic.”
Fox News (Right):
The New York Post (Lean Right):
How Bias Shaped the Narratives
In both instances, media outlets tended to downplay or contextualize the use of obscenities, with outlets on the left tending towards downplaying the Minneapolis Mayor’s speech and outlets on the right doing the same with Trump’s speech. By omitting details in some cases and emphasizing them in others, news outlets across the political spectrum used these events to shape narratives about politicians as they saw fit.
Whether one views expletives as sometimes necessary to make a point or offensive and without a place in public discourse, it’s important to consume news media of different biases to understand how individual and public perception may shift based on how mainstream outlets covered the incident.
This piece was edited and reviewed by Andy Gorel, News and Social Media Editor (Center) and Johnathon Held, News & Bias Analyst (Lean Right).
