Biased reporting by Meaghan Wray appears to violate Global News editorial guidelines

Global News defines its “Journalistic Principles and Practices” as follows:

“Our primary directive is to report accurate, balanced, timely and comprehensive news and information in the public interest… Integrity, fairness and transparency are at the foundation of our newsgathering process. We are committed to reporting news without distortion or misrepresentation.”

Meaghan Wray is a national viral and lifestyle reporter with an interest in pop culture, health and beauty, and women’s issues. On July 22, 2020 Meaghan Wray published on Global News the following article:

Wall of Moms: Mothers form human shield to protect Portland protesters.

By Meaghan Wray Global News

Mothers came together in Portland, Ore., to form a human shield — a Wall of Moms — to protect activists protesting the treatment of Black people in the U.S.

Protests over police brutality and racial inequality in the wake of George Floyd‘s death have been ongoing for more than 50 days.

Most recently, video has shown masked, camouflaged federal authorities without identification in unmarked vehicles arresting protesters at night, often violently.

Many have been seen sporting military-style fatigues with the word “police” on them, but no badge numbers or identifying information.

In response, groups of mothers banded together to protect activists, declaring: “Feds stay clear, moms are here.”

“They are calling themselves Momtifa,” author and activist Ben Phillips tweeted on Sunday. A video he shared shows dozens of moms linking their arms together.

In a followup tweet, a video shows the group of mothers singing “hands up, please don’t shoot me” — a version of Black Lives Matter rally cry “hands up, don’t shoot” — in the style of a lullaby.

“Impossible to watch and not cry,” Phillips tweeted.

Portland mom Bev Barnum said she was inspired to act after watching videos of the protests on Friday night.

“It didn’t take long for me to find a massive array of video displaying obvious human rights violations,” she told CNN. “But I thought I needed to do more so I asked the Portland working moms group to protest with me, to shield the protesters from harm with our ‘mombods.’”

Barnum, who is Mexican American, is the founder of activist group Wall of Moms, a collection of mothers who work together to protect activists. She teamed up with Don’t Shoot Portland, an advocacy group.

Around 70 mothers, including Barnum, gathered outside the federal courthouse over the weekend in a protest line, CNN reported.

“We are just amplifying (Don’t Shoot Portland)’s message,” Rebecca, another mom who joined Barnum, told CNN. She did not want her last name used out of fear of retaliation.

“Parents have always been out there protesting. Black mothers have been doing this forever trying to get justice for their children.”

According to Barnum, federal authorities came out of the courthouse on Saturday night and “started shooting.”

“I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Barnum said. “Traumatic doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Portland police used tear gas on multiple occasions until a federal court order banned them from doing so without declaring a riot. Now, anger is building as federal officers deploy tear gas.

The Wall of Moms was joined by PDX Dad Pod, who wielded leaf blowers on Monday night to help disperse the tear gas, The Associated Press reported.

“We’ll stop when there is no protester that needs our protection,” Barnum told CNN. “We get thanks every which way. But we’re not doing it for the thanks.

“We’re doing it to protect human rights.”

With files from Global News reporter Rachel D’Amore and The Associated Press

Meaghan Wray’s article portrays the “federal authorities” operating in Portland in a very negative manner. According to her description, the federal forces concealed their identity and “often violently” arrested “protesters.”

Wray didn’t deen it necessary to report on the reason for the arrests and fail to provide any information about the protesters, their motives and the nature of their activities that triggered the “often violently” reaction by the federal forces. The word Anitfa is not mentioned in Wray’s article. According to Wray, the “protesters” were peaceful and the federal authorities unjustly used excessive force.

An article published by Danielle Wallace from Fox News on the same day tells a completely different story:

Federal officers in Portland may have been permanently blinded by lasers, officials say

Rioters also launched fireworks at a courthouse and plotted to cut off water supply

Chaos in Portland as federal officers confront demonstrators outside federal buildings

Federal officers fire tear gas to push crowds back from vandalizing the federal courthouse; Dan Springer reports from Seattle.

At least three federal officers in Portland may not recover their vision after earlier this week demonstrators, who have shown up in crowds of over 1,000 for more than 50 consecutive nights, shined lasers in their eyes and threw fireworks at a federal courthouse, officials said.

During Monday night’s confrontation, one person also threatened to cut off the water supply to federal officers inside the building.

Federal Protective Service (FPS) Deputy Director of Operations Richard “Kriss” Cline said at a press conference on Tuesday that a crowd of more than 1,000 “rioters” surrounded the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and began removing plywood coverings before attempting to throw objects – some of them incendiary – through the windows at federal officers inside.

They also vandalized the building with spray paint, blocked adjacent intersections and set several fires.

“When officers responded to put out these fires, glass bottles were thrown and lasers – which can cause permanent blindness – were shined in their eyes,” Cline said. “We have three officers who currently have eye injuries and they may not recover sight in those eyes from those laser attacks.”

The FPS has purchased anti-laser glasses that federal officers are now wearing to prevent eye injuries.

Federal officers responded by deploying pepper balls and tear gas. Cline said officers observed one individual taking pictures of a water intake system to the Edith Green Federal Building, which is also under FPS protection. Earlier in the evening Monday night, a Twitter user said “So we can shut off the water to the buildings the feds are staying in to make it a nightmare for them.”

Seven people were arrested in the unrest that unfolded Monday night into the early hours Tuesday, including two for alleged assaults on federal officers and five for noncompliance with lawful directions.

One of the federal officers assaulted is a member of the Federal Protective Service, the other is a member of the U.S Marshals Service. Another federal officer was injured when he was struck by a glass bottle thrown by rioters, Cline said.

The Department of Homeland Security said that “violent anarchists” also had torn down the perimeter fencing around the Hatfield Federal Courthouse Sunday night into Monday morning.

Red, green and purple lasers were aimed by rioters at federal officers through the courthouse doors while one group used a strobe light on the building. A commercial-grade mortar firework was fired in the vicinity of the Hatfield Courthouse front doors.

Cline explained that these incendiary fireworks were launched at the courthouse at the same time that rioters had barricaded the front entrance of the courthouse, potentially trapping federal officers inside.

The U.S. Marshals Service also reported communications jamming – the first reported instance since the riots have started — which may have caused significant problems with their radio communications.

Cline also detailed how the names of federal officers would be removed from their uniforms and replaced with their badge numbers after approximately 38 law enforcement officers had been doxed.

In her book “Anatomy of #FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump – A case study of unethical journalism,” Diane Weber Bederman wrote:

In this book, #FakeNews discusses the danger of factual errors but focuses more on the egregious omission of facts. This type of #FakeNews is dangerous because the omission of facts about events and sources, especially on a regular basis, can promote a particular narrative; a bias, that affects perspective and can lead to the polarization of a country. The reason the omission of facts is so dangerous is that the consumer of news has no idea that facts have been omitted. This #FakeNews becomes propaganda. And media outlets together can form a coalition of #FakeNewsMedia.”

Media Inquiry

Meaghan Wray, Reporter, Global News [email protected]

James Armstrong, Managing Editor, Global News [email protected]

Questions for Meaghan Wray:

  • Do you think that your news report about the events in Portland are in line with the “Journalistic Principles and Practices” set by Global News and specifically accuracy and balanced reporting without distortion or misrepresentation?
  • Why did you choose to omit the abundant reports on the daily (almost two months) violent riots (looting, arson, vandalism, grievous assault etc.) in Portland by Antifa and BLM operatives, including the recent violent attacks on Hatfield Federal Courthouse?

An article on this issue will be published soon, so it would be great if you could respond by 11am July 24, 2020. If more time is required please let me know. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Eric Stanley Brazau

Investigative Journalist

EricBrazau.com

Note: As of July 24, 2020 Meaghan Wray has not yet responded to the media inquiry.

1 thought on “Biased reporting by Meaghan Wray appears to violate Global News editorial guidelines”

  1. Global news has no integrity, honesty or transparency, they were bribed by the turd Trudeau and are the enemy of the people.

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