How to Stand Up to Your Local Liberal TV Reporter

Writer’s Note: This is the second of a two-part story about how to stand up to your local TV reporter. Part One is available here.

Yesterday I told you that every local television market in the United States has its own version of liberal Jim Acosta.

Such reporters care less about truth and objectivity and more about inflaming the political right.

Consider this article a primer on how to push back against your area’s answer to Acosta. By extension, consider it a primer on how to punch back against your local corporate-owned television news station, which allows that reporter to behave this way. 

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If you cannot do so in person, then tell them on their social media feeds.

Often, their egos are too big not to respond. They can’t help themselves. 

My advice:

• Never approach a reporter in a hostile manner. No matter how much this “journalist” gets under your skin, never make it personal. Use no profanity. Otherwise, the reporter owns you and can justifiably block or remove you from his or her social media. Call the reporter out in a playful manner. Smile as you type.

• Do more than just call them liberal or biased. These reporters are entitled to their personal views. But you must demonstrate to them how their (public) activist behavior undermines their professionalism. With the Jim Acosta in my TV market, I typed things like “You don’t like Republicans very much, do you? Why is that?” Another thing I said: “You’re transparently liberal, and you had an ethical obligation to recuse yourself from covering this story, which is of a political nature. It’s just bad optics.” Remember. Smile as you type. 

• Be specific about their biases. Say “An objective reporter would have handled this differently. Here’s how.” And then explain how. You could also type “Do you consider yourself an objective journalist or one who reports from a certain point of view?” My region’s “Jim Acosta” REALLY hated that question. Again, for reasons I gave in Part One, I will not reveal the name of the TV reporter. 

• If you catch them in a lie then say so diplomatically. Remember, you’re dealing with a vain person, just like the real Jim Acosta. Also remember this reporter has liberal groupies who will go to bat for him or her, and if you come across as threatening or rude then neutral parties who read these conversations will side with them. The leftist groupies will come after you, regardless. They don’t have logic or facts on their side, so they will make it personal. Once that happens, you’re likely to get defensive and have officially distracted yourself from your original objective. Follow the advice Patrick Swayze gave to his bouncers in Roadhouse: “Be nice, until it’s time to not be nice.”

The more you stay focused the more likely you are to anger the reporter (and the groupies) and keep him or her on defense. The reporter will deny your accusations. Continue to throw facts and logic at them. When they’re in a corner, their denials of bias will grow more and more outlandish.

My area’s “Jim Acosta” denied a certain coziness with a local (and rather militant) left-wing activist and told me he had never met him. Well, after a 30-second Google search, I found a photo of the two men together, in public. I posted the photo and asked the reporter if it was Photoshopped or some other kind of forgery. 

“Jim Acosta” immediately blocked me from his Facebook and Twitter. 

The man is a coward. 

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This journalist strikes fear into the hearts of many around town. I don’t know why. When called out on his own hypocrisies, he retreats.

All it takes is a little pushback.

And, no, by pushing back you aren’t bullying anybody.

Remember, as a liberal reporter who can’t contain his personal bias, this person is the bully and behaves unethically. This is not a journalist. This is an activist. An activist who works against your best interests and even your right to have or enjoy a livelihood.

Push back against the TV reporter. Push back hard.

And if you succeed in aggravating some of these people then email me…and tell me about it.

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