What MSM omit from reports on Quebec City mosque shooting defines the problem *UPDATE*

What MSM omit from reports on Quebec City mosque shooting defines the problem *UPDATE*
Police outside Quebec City mosque following shootings (Image: YouTube screen grab via BBC News)

Six people were killed and eight wounded when masked gunmen opened fire at a mosque in Quebec City during Sunday night prayers. Police arrested two suspects, according to CBC News and other sources.

Among those present at the time of the assault, which occurred around 8 p.m., was a three-year-old there with his father.

One of the shooters was apprehended at the scene, while another was intercepted a short distance away. Both were taken alive and are in police custody.

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This tragic and senseless incident is yet another sobering reminder of the dangerous times we live in. But the reactions by politicians and coverage by the mainstream media are symptomatic of an even larger problem.

Let’s begin at the source, with Quebec’s premier, Philippe Couillard, who described the incident as “a murderous act directed at a specific community.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a “terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge.”

Reuters includes the text of tweet by a Canadian legislator, Greg Fergus, who wrote: “This is an act of terrorism — the result of years of sermonizing Muslims. Words matter and hateful speeches have consequences!” The wire service also reached out to French President François Hollande, who said, “The terrorists wanted to attack the spirit of peace and tolerance of the citizens of Quebec. France stands shoulder to shoulder with the victims and their families.”

CNN even provided a comment by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who assured Muslims in his city that “we will fight all hatred and bias.”

One seemingly relevant detail that you will not find in the any of these articles except for the one at CBC News is an observation by an eyewitness, who told Radio-Canada that the two attackers shouted “Allahu akbar!” as they fired. This would suggest that the gunmen were themselves Muslim. It renders Trudeau’s reaction — that it was “terrorist attack on Muslims” without mentioning that it was also by Muslims — incomplete.

Even the CBC, it is worth noting, buries that detail until the twentieth paragraph, but at least the network mentions it, which is more than can be said for Reuters, CNN, or The New York Times.

This preoccupation with creating a narrative and then sticking stubbornly to when reality suggests otherwise is a problem at least as large as what Barack Obama referred to in the wake of another Islamic terror attack in 2012 as “slander” against “the prophet of Islam.”

*UPDATE* Per reader Nevsky (see comments below) and a tweet by CBC News, the identities of the two suspects in police custody have been confirmed.

No motive has yet been ascribed, though the nature of the second name diminishes any hope the Left might be holding out that this was a “false flag” operation.

Also worth noting via The Hill, The Daily Beast was taken in by a “fake news” report that the shooters were white supremacists. That is what becomes of hearing what you want to hear and believing what you want to believe.

Ben Bowles

Ben Bowles

Ben Bowles is a freelance writer and regular contributor to "Liberty Unyielding."

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