On Jan. 23, 150,000 pro-life advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life. Among the participants were tens of thousands of young people. Online videos reveal the passions these men and women brought to the streets of our nation’s capital, carrying signs with slogans like, “Life Is a Gift” and “Get Married and Have Kids. You Won’t Regret It.” Some Americans consider these sentiments dangerous and extreme, but many participants brought a sense of joy to the march, singing church songs, carrying Christian icons, and praying while walking up Constitution Avenue.

As far as we know, no one in this crew of smiling “radicals” threw rocks or screeched obscenities at the police, and none of the police shot or arrested any of the marchers.

This is what qualifies as a peaceful protest, a time-honored, legal right under the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, “…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances….”

The game in Minneapolis is different. There anti-ICE protesters riot, cursing and taunting the police, resisting arrest, and even deploying their cars as weapons. These are anything but peaceable assemblies, yet our news outlets rarely condemn their misconduct.

Meanwhile, 2025 data reveals that Texas has by far the highest rate of ICE detentions in the United States, about 23.2%, while Minnesota ICE detentions make up less than 7% of all ICE arrests nationwide. Yet it is Minnesota, the hotbed of radical resistance to ICE, which draws 100% of the media’s attention.

In its lopsided coverage, the media has failed to ask simple questions. Why Minnesota with its paltry number of arrests and not Texas? In fact, with few exceptions, like Portland and Seattle, there are no anti-ICE riots and acts of violence anywhere else in America. So who are these protesters? Who is funding and directing them? Why are Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey egging on these protests, bending and breaking federal law in doing so? Are they genuinely concerned about the illegals or are they trying a bait-and-switch tactic to take the spotlight off the massive fraud in their state recently revealed by amateur journalists?

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How are the classic questions basic to journalism. Apply these Journalism 101 queries to the anti-ICE riots and violence in Minneapolis, and the media flunks big-time. We know what is occurring (rioting), when it is occurring (now), and where it is occurring (Minneapolis), but the public has little idea who is behind the violence and the ugly protests. Likewise, why and how the protests are being organized and funded remain mysteries.

Whether from sloth or from hatred of the current administration, the media haven’t provided answers to these questions. Instead, their inadequate, one-sided reporting is fueling insurrection.

The same amendment of the Bill of Rights that protects the rights of citizens to assemble peacefully also protects the rights of freedom of speech for the press. The men who penned that idea and helped bring it to fruition knew well that the press could abuse this right, yet they hoped that it would serve as a watchdog on government legislators and laws.

In our 21st century, mainstream media has transformed itself from watchdog to lapdog, the pet of the left, given only to yapping and snapping at conservatives and especially at supporters of Donald Trump, his cabinet members, and the MAGA movement. With exceptions, the press has failed as a protector and guardian of the people from government. When an independent reporter like Nick Shirley can dig out billions of dollars in scams and frauds involving government money, big news teams not only look foolish, they confirm their journalistic failure.

Consequently, we the people must become watchdogs. Here are three tests we should bring to the daily news:

Ask the journalistic 5Ws and H of the articles and commentaries you read or the videos you watch. We see, for instance, the Minneapolis protesters, but are we supposed to believe that these citizens came together in a particular time and place by accident? If the media don’t tell you who organized the protest, regard the reporting as suspect.

Be wary of stories in which the reporters don’t cite their sources. This is akin to a friend coming to you and saying, “Word is there’s going to be a major uptick in the stock market tomorrow.” Unless that friend is a broker, you need to find out what he means by “Word is.”

Compare news stories from time to time. What, for example, does the Washington Post say about a shooting in Minneapolis compared to the report by the New York Post or one in your local, state-based news source? Which story best meets the criteria of the 5Ws and the H?

Finally, don’t believe everything you read, even from a trusted source. Reporters are human and make mistakes. Ditto for AI. Trust, but verify.

We’re living in the Information or Digital Age. True enough, but it’s less an age of sunlight and more of shadows. Be careful.

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This article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

Image credit: Unsplash