The Washington Post's 'Rambunctious Rah-Rah' Coverage of Walz

Tim Graham on Aug 16, 2024

The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, but it reads like it's owned by the Democratic National Committee.

Consider the bias by omission. On Aug. 9, Washington Examiner reporter Gabe Kaminsky found an uncomfortable story: "Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, on at least five occasions as governor of Minnesota, hosted a Muslim cleric who celebrated Hamas's Oct. 7 attack last year on Israel and promoted a film popular among Neo-Nazis that glorifies Adolf Hitler."

After Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 civilians, Imam Asad Zaman wrote he "stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks." The group Zaman leads, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, said in a statement it "reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation."

A few days later, Kaminsky obtained exclusive video of Walz praising Zaman as a "master teacher." He proclaimed, "I would like to first of all say thank you to imam. I am a teacher, so when I see a master teacher, I know it."

In response, the Harris campaign put out a statement that Walz does not "have a personal relationship" with Zaman, which is plainly false. When it comes to appearing with leaders who endorse Hitler and terrorism, Walz's fervent words of praise were enough of a political indictment.

The Washington Post is a Democrat rag, so it can't touch this. Search for Asad Zaman on their website and you will find three stories on a Minnesota mosque bombing in 2017. In one, Zaman was quoted as saying, "Hate is not okay. ... We need an America where people are safe with their neighbors."

"Hate is not okay," said the man who celebrated the Hamas slaughter of Oct. 7.

By contrast, a search for "Trump" and white supremacist and antisemite "Nick Fuentes" gives you 404 stories. One story centers on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warning anyone meeting with antisemites is unlikely to ever be elected president.

Instead of covering the story of Walz's gushing praise of a pro-Hamas and pro-Hitler imam, the Post on Aug. 14 carried a story headlined "As 'Coach Walz,' VP pick left an impression as a gung ho, hands-on leader." If you found the Post story online, the headline was even more positive: "Tim Walz as football coach: A rambunctious, rah-rah joker."

The subheadline came from a quote: "'Coach Walz was like Coach Taylor,' one player said, referencing the beloved fictional coach from the series 'Friday Night Lights.' 'Only a bit kinder and nicer.'"

Reporter-activists Ben Strauss and Ben Terris found all the good news they could muster from the old days at Mankato West High School. "In interviews, more than 10 players and coaches who overlapped with Walz universally described him as a high-energy coach who specialized in rah-rah speeches and an avuncular and hands-on leader who didn't mind a practical joke and helped transform a woebegone program into a state champion."

Could the Post find anyone who didn't like Tim Walz? Did they get someone to organize a Walz fan club for this story so he could be "universally described" as a terrific guy?

It's reminiscent of 2012, when Washington Post editor David Maraniss churned out a 600-page book on Barack Obama that eviscerated Obama's autobiography as filled with phony stories. But the Post avoided that. It only published an excerpt on the front page of a Sunday sports section about Obama's love of basketball, and how it helped him "find his way toward blackness."

The Washington Post isn't trustworthy in informing the voters. It is trustworthy in underlining positive Democrat narratives and squashing the negative ones.

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Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Tim Graham and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.