Republicans pounce

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The phrase "Republicans pounce" (sometimes "conservatives pounce") is a term used by conservative commentators in the United States to illustrate what they believe to be media bias against Republicans and conservatives. In opinion pieces, these commentators have argued that journalists downplay controversies and potentially negative stories about Democrats, liberals, and progressives by emphasizing the Republican or conservative response to the story, rather than the negative aspects of the story themselves. [1] [2]

Contents

No evidence has been produced in support of these allegations, and analysis has shown that the "pounces" phrasing is used with roughly equal frequently to refer to Republicans and Democrats. [1] [2]

Analysis

According to an analysis by Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake, the use of the "pounce" framing "appears to be pretty bipartisan in its implementation." Searching U.S. newspapers and wire services between 2010 and 2019, Blake found 1,732 instances of Democrats or liberals "pouncing," versus 1,427 instances of Republicans or conservatives doing the same. However, he cautioned that this approach had several limitations: it did not survey cable news; it did not include similar verbs such as "seize on"; and it did not assess the severity of the controversy being "pounced" upon. [1] Blake identifies a 1933 New York Times article "Revived Republicans Pounce on Democrats" as one of the first occurrences of this phrasing in print, but says that overwhelming majority of "Republicans pounce" headlines in the Times or The Washington Post have been printed in the 21st century. [1]

Commentary

Wall Street Journal editor James Freeman discussed the construction in the context of the 2019 article "Ocasio-Cortez Team Flubs a Green New Deal Summary, and Republicans Pounce" in The New York Times . [2]

Washington Examiner editor Quin Hillyer criticized the Associated Press' coverage of Harvard University president Claudine Gay's resignation as an example of the "Republicans pounce" framework. After Gay resigned in the wake of plagiarism allegations, the AP's headline had called plagiarism a "new conservative weapon against colleges". Hillyer criticized the AP story, describing it as biased and inaccurate. [3] Another Washington Examiner, editor Nicholas Clairmont, says that the use of the "Republicans pounce" trope is a form of "othering" by journalists, although not necessarily deliberate or inaccurate. [4]

Commentary writer Noah Rothman argues that the "Republicans pounce" construction benefits Democrats; Rothman describes the 2015 story "Republicans seize on Planned Parenthood video" in The Hill as an example. [5] Rothman says that the literal phrase "Republicans pounce" may or may not be literally used in the news coverage he criticizes. [5]

National Review political correspondent Jim Geraghty has criticized "Republicans pounce" headlines for contributing to political polarization, saying that claims that such headlines give the public a "psychological permission slip" to ignore what he considers legitimate issues or scandals based on who is criticizing them. [6] Another National Review writer, Charles C. W. Cooke, linked "Republicans pounce" to media coverage suggesting that Republican politicians are engaging in "culture wars." [7]

Wall Street Journal editor James Freeman describes the term as a "long-running joke", noting that little evidence backs it up. In a 2019 search of the Factiva news archive, he found 311 occurrences of the phrasing "Democrats pounce," compared with 245 occurrences of "Republicans pounce." While this suggested that the framing has been applied more toward Democrats, Freeman acknowledged that the phenomenon was "difficult to measure qualitatively." [2]

Mother Jones writer Kevin Drum said that the claims Republicans made about the term were difficult to prove, observing that only limited conclusions can be drawn from simple keyword searches and writing: "What we really need to know is whether Republicans suffer more than Democrats from a general framing that focuses on the opposition response instead of the initial miscue." [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Blake, Aaron (February 19, 2019). "Tucker Carlson and the oversold 'Republicans pounce' complaint". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Freeman, James (February 13, 2019). "When Politicians 'Pounce'". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ Hillyer, Quin (January 3, 2024). "Associated Press murders media ethics in report on Harvard leader's resignation". Washington Examiner . Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ Clairmont, Nicholas (February 15, 2019). "Republicans pounce!". Washington Examiner . Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Rothman, Noah (July 15, 2015). "When Republicans 'Pounce'". Commentary . Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ Geraghty, Jim (September 17, 2020). "'Republicans Pounce' Coverage Is Toxic to Government Accountability". National Review . Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Cooke, Charles C. W. (April 30, 2021). "Politico Publishes a 'Republicans Pounce' Claim That's Destined for the Hall of Fame". National Review . Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ Drum, Kevin (February 12, 2019). "Republicans Pounce on New York Times for Pouncing on Them". Mother Jones . Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
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