A leaked manifesto from the shooter responsible for the recent tragic attack at the Abundant Life Christian School, killing 2 and injuring 6, has been largely downplayed, and much of the media seem more interested in probing the motives of the shooter rather than confronting the anti-Christian hate it directly promoted.
The Abundant Life School shooter’s manifesto, which explicitly outlines the “motives” and innocent targets, was released into the public domain, revealing that the attack was not a random act of violence but one with a calculated ideological agenda, an agenda focused on targeting Christians.
Yet Phil Williams of the smaller outlet NC5 News, known for his left-leaning political slant, saw the release of the shooter’s manifesto as a moment for him to sway the tragedy towards an attack on “Maga.”
Instead of holding the shooter accountable for their explicit hatred of Christians, the reporter instead shifted attention to the shooter’s identity and personal background. Williams, it seems, was more interested in framing the incident through a lens of political correctness than in grappling with the uncomfortable reality that the shooter had specifically targeted Christian institutions.
Even more troubling is how this narrative has been boosted by some major news outlets. Megan Basham, a prominent conservative reporter, recently called out Nashville’s NC5 News for its failure to address the manifesto’s content correctly. Basham questioned why, in the wake of the manifesto’s leak, NC5 did not correct its reporting to more accurately reflect the shooter’s evident angst toward Christianity.
Basham’s expression is just one voice within a growing frustration with how the media handles hate crimes when they involve marginalized groups committing violence against more traditionally conservative targets.
Whoa, and I would love to know, @NC5, why, once the leaked pages of the transgender shooter’s manifesto demonstrated that she absolutely targeted the school and Christians why you did not require your reporter to make a correction to this. Because to minimize anti-Christian hate… https://t.co/xmBrjYsxSl
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) December 23, 2024
Basham’s frustration with NC5’s lack of corrective reporting is part of a broader concern in conservative circles about the media’s reluctance to acknowledge the growing problem of anti-Christian violence in America. Instead of denouncing acts of violence that target people of faith, certain segments of the press continue to soften the edges of the narrative, effectively excusing this specific form of hate crimes.Critics say this selective reporting is not just a flaw in journalism, it is an active failure to confront issues objectively.