Published on August 9, 2024, 12:28 am

While various stories in the media continue to strive to recast Kamala Harris’s record of (non)achievements, a daunting new task has arisen: addressing the decision— whose ownership I purposely withhold—from choosing Tim Walz as a running mate. Unlike the earlier attempts at historical revision, this challenge presents itself in an entirely different light. Walz carries a politically controversial track record that includes his lax response during the 2020 riots and his stance on issues like custodial rights over minors concerning gender alteration surgery. Apart from this, controversies shroud his personal life as well, focusing mainly on his military service in the National Guard and his bold exaggeration of his achievements.

The reflexive move of some media outlets to defend any Democrats has exacerbated their ethical dilemmas once more. A case under reference is Bloomberg News’s piece written by Joshua Green about Walz for its “Businessweek Daily” newsletter.

In an attempt to characterize Walz as an individual warmly embraced by everyone, Green disregards facts presenting themselves blatantly along with the course of creating this piece: “Tim Walz comes across as entirely—almost suspiciously—normal.” Amidst such views were significant considerations Green could have paid heed to but didn’t.

Issues began when Green highlighted Walz’s embellishments surrounding his two-decades-long service in the National Guard — from discrepancies regarding his rank and early departure just before deployment to where exactly he served during wars. Further problems arose when Greens put forth that Walz had spent time in Iraq, which was counterintuitive with actual service records. After receiving public backlash concerning these inaccuracies, it was corrected that he’d been stationed in Italy rather than being close to action making claims about involvement in Operation Enduring Freedom disputable.

This indicates how biased reports can mislead people and alter perceptions about politicians who already possess questionable records. Bloomberg faced backlash for promoting inaccurate information about Tim Walz’s military history and was forced to correct their narrative after it faced public scrutiny.

There’s more to this controversy; a part of the same article that discussed Democrats wanting to rejuvenate the party’s image by encouraging Iraq war vets to run for office and included Walz as one of those veterans. Post these assertions being contested, Green had to modify his piece once again, removing all mentions of “Iraq and Afghanistan” which drove Bloomberg towards issuing another Correction addendum to their column.

This is not a novel issue. It has consistently sprung up with Walz since he launched his political career. He has often overstated his service credentials contrary to the facts, as pointed out by political commentator Jordan Schachtel.

Inaccuracy in media reports drives public perception away from reality making them susceptible to misinformation. As trustworthy news adhering to Christian worldview principles, we aim at providing real news free from bias and going beyond skewed perspectives projected in some mainstream reports. Transparency is key, and our goal remains focused on delivering verified news that our readers can trust fully.