Mainstream Media Brouhaha Over Trump's Migration Executive Order

Following through on yet another of his campaign promises, America's new leader has banned people from seven countries from entering the US, building off of the list of supposedly terrorist-prone countries that his predecessor first identified. The immediacy of the order caught many people off guard, and there was confusion about whether it would apply to permanent residents (green card-holders), already-vetted refugees, and individuals in transit. Almost immediately after the announcement was made last Friday, thousands of people across the US flocked to their local airports to protest the measure. In doing so, they defied what are ordinarily strict security measures, which during regular times would prohibit such large-scale gatherings at locations considered essential to the nation's infrastructure.

The protesters claimed that Trump had “banned Muslims” from entering the US, and the hashtag #MuslimBan instantly started trending on Twitter. In defense of the motion, Trump and his surrogates said that most majority-Muslim countries were untouched by the temporary border restrictions, pointing out that Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country – isn’t on the list, for example. Moreover, in a cynical retort to the critics, they reminded the public that Obama had earlier suspended the US refugee program for Iraqi nationals for half a year back in 2011, though no such protests erupted at that time. Nevertheless, it’s hard for the Trump Administration to shake the social media stigma that this is a “Muslim Ban”, no matter how convincingly they may argue that it amounts to nothing more than a brief review period for high-risk countries prior to the implementation of what’s being called “extreme vetting.” This is because the mainstream US media is very sympathetic to what Trump and his spokespeople have termed the “political opposition,” namely, the Democratic Party.

The perception management and narrative-building that these two institutions are known for was seen vividly and on full display during the presidential campaign, but it’s gotten even more intense since Trump’s election. Just like back then, however, it doesn’t seem to be doing its intended job, since a Reuters poll released on Tuesday found that 49% of Americans are in favor of the President’s action, while 41% are against it.

Patrick Henningsen, Founder and Executive Editor of 21stCenturyWire.com and the host of the Sunday Wire Show, and Don DeBar, host of a syndicated daily radio newscast CPR News heard across the US, commented on the issue.

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