Washington Examiner Posts Veiled Hit Piece Against Kari Lake

Days after the 2020 election was stolen, the editorial board at the Washington Examiner posted their first call for conservatives to “move on” and accept the results of the election despite clear evidence that there were abnormalities. Those “abnormalities” turned into mountains of evidence over time, but the same editorial board did not change their tune.

It was then that I realized the “right-leaning” news outlet was no better than many at Fox News or any of the other corporate media shills who support RINOs and Never-Trumpers instead of conservatives or populists. This is important for America First patriots to know because it’s easy to not realize we’re reading McConnellesque propaganda.

The latest attack on an America First patriot is disguised as a news story that initially looks like it’s painting Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in a positive light. Titled, “MAGA’s next megastar: Dems reportedly concerned Kari Lake could shatter 2024 dreams,” it drew me in even as I knew they likely weren’t going to be endorsing the staunch conservative candidate. It started off fine, but by paragraph two, it was clear that their labels of her as an “election denier” and an “Ultra-MAGA” candidate were intended as pejoratives. They then proceeded to reinforce this notion by filling the article with quotes and perspectives from Democrats, including Lake’s opponent, Katie Hobbs.

Conspicuously, there are ZERO quotes from Kari Lake or anyone at her campaign, nor any of the patriots who support her. All of the quotes are from those opposed to her. They even took a swipe at Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who also happens to be an “election denier” and “Ultra MAGA.”

On the surface, this doesn’t appear to be a hit piece. But as experienced propagandists are well aware, the conscious and subconscious takeaways from a “news” report can be shifted in one direction or another based on how it’s crafted. This one is masterfully done to subtly disparage Lake while making her opponent and critics sound reasonable. All they have to do is highlight a quote or fact that sounds acceptable to the reader or listener, then subsequent quotes are digested as reliable.

In this case, the story’s first quote came from Obama disciple David Axelrod.

“If you get a candidate who has the performance skills of a major-market local TV anchor and the philosophy and thinking of Steve Bannon, that’s a potent and dangerous combination. … Look at Italy,” he said.

To America First patriots, the statement doesn’t have a negative impact. But to lukewarm conservatives or Republicans who are not ideologically aligned with Steve Bannon or the next Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, that single line can turn those voters and potential supporters off. That was the intention of leading with Axelrod’s quote.

Later, the article quotes Hobbs and, as noted, did not allow Lake to retort. Here’s the first of three long quotes from Hobbs with the intended takeaway emphasized.

“How do you debate someone who refuses to accept the truth, who doesn’t live in facts, and it doesn’t do any service to the voters in terms of deciding, looking at the contrast between us and how we’re going to govern if all she’s going to is shout over me, interrupt me, and spew lies?” she said on MSNBC this week.

This story has been the top headline over at the Washington Examiner from Saturday morning until at least evening. It may be the best example of how to post a hit piece without letting people, including the Lake team, know that it’s a hit piece. It’s manipulative and disingenuous, filled with all of the negative opinions they want voters to have about Lake while never getting a single perspective from a Lake supporter or Lake herself.

Even the headline is intended to draw in Lake supporters or potential supporters who hope to see why Lake would make a good leader. They included a click-bait insinuation about 2024 knowing many have seen her as a potential running mate for Donald Trump. Laughably, the article doesn’t even mention 2024. Once they got you to click through on an insinuated promise, they had no intention of actually talking about the point their readers wanted to see. That’s not just click-bait. It’s a way to get readers to go all the way through the article to the end.

To be clear, there are several writers over at the Washington Examiner that I like and respect. They’re not all RINO shills. But just as Fox News has Tucker Carlson, they also have Brett Baier. They also have a whole lot of people at the top of the food chain who hate Donald Trump. They likely also hate Kari Lake because she supports Donald Trump and represents the type of leadership Arizona and America needs.

America First patriots must practice as much discernment as possible when dealing with RINO shill publications. It’s easy to see the blatant hatred toward conservatives at CNN, NY Times, and other leftist outlets. But the so-called “right-leaning” corporate media outlets will give fodder to conservatives by posting a pro-life story or an anti-CRT rant, right next to those stories will be a puff piece about Mike Pence or Doug Ducey. Be warned.

FYI, this is why we’re launching Discern.tv very soon.