Media Outlets Keep Botching the Facts of the Police Shooting That Sparked Kenosha Riots

Jackson RichmanNov 22nd, 2021, 2:12 pm
 
Jacob Blake

Screenshot, via @AttorneyCrump

Following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, many in the media have been taken to task for errors in reporting on the details of his case. One false claim continues to be spread by the media, even after the trial ended: That Jacob Blake, a Black man whose shooting by police sparked riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was killed.

Blake was shot by police on Aug. 23, 2020, when police were trying to arrest him for allegedly violating a restraining order that followed an alleged sexual assault. Police said Blake resisted arrest despite tasers being deployed on him, and that one officer believed he was kidnapping a child and that he was armed with a knife. Blake himself admitted he had a knife on him.

Police shot Blake, and he was paralyzed from the waist down.

The Department of Justice concluded the officer acted in self-defense, opting not to charge him.

Days later, Rittenhouse shot two men and wounded a third during riots that followed the Blake shooting. He was acquitted of all charges, after his defense attorneys argued he acted in self-defense.

After the acquittal of Rittenhouse, several in the media have erroneously reported that Blake was killed.

ABC News senior national correspondent Terry Moran reacted: “It’s very significant. First, for the community of Kenosha. This city was traumatized by the police killing of a Black man, Jacob Blake.”

To his credit, Moran promptly corrected his statement on Twitter, writing that he, “misspoke and quickly corrected [himself], on the air, as soon as [he] could.” He also apologized for the hiccup.

On ESPN on Friday, analyst Jalen Rose said, “Here’s the thing: Black Lives Matter protests was actually taking place because Jacob Blake was shot and killed by police.” Rose has yet to issue a correction and ESPN has declined to comment on the error.

The Sunday edition of The Detroit Free Press stated, “In August 2020, Jacob Blake was shot and killed by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparking protests against racism and police brutality.”

The Free Press corrected the story

Media outlets have made other errors in covering the Blake shooting, including claiming he was unarmed. Wisconsin Examiner published a commentary piece by Harvard Law School professor Ronald Sullivan that read, “The lakeside city of 100,000 was the scene of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed, 29-year-old black man…”

Blake had a knife on him when he scuffled with police. The Examiner has yet to correct the piece. ESPN has more than once echoed the incorrect notion that Blake was unarmed.

These fresh errors are part of a trend of media botching facts of the case in the last year.

On Aug. 24, CNN host Jake Tapper said on air during his show, The Lead, “…Jacob Blake, 29 years old, is fighting for his life after police shot him in the back at least seven times yesterday afternoon. His three children watching from the car as the unarmed black man was shot by white police…”

Publications including CNN, The Washington Post, Vogue and Buzzfeed also wrongfully said Blake was unarmed.

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