It took me two years to come to grips with a harsh reality about the arena I’ve chosen to enter. I didn’t want to believe the media is the “enemy of the people” or that our words could cause so much damage to a country that desperately needs to heal, but despite my protestations I’ve finally been forced to pull my head out of the sand. Mainstream media really is the problem.

I didn’t want to believe it because I believe in a free press. I know where this is heading. The President has called for changes to libel laws and has often espoused the precursors to censorship of the media. That terrified me. It still does. I’m not in the camp that believes the media needs to be put in check by the government and I can’t imagine a scenario where I would ever support even the slightest action that could lead to censorship. With that said, I’m starting to understand the frustration.

News outlets like the Washington Post have clearly demonstrated they will treat President Trump completely differently from how they treated his predecessor. They weren’t trying to blame President Obama for, well, anything that they’re attempting to pin on President Trump. They would never dare to say President Obama was to blame for stoking the hatred that led to the San Bernardino attacks. None of them were accusing him following Sandy Hook, Aurora, or Orlando.

In fact, the media was blaming the Republicans for those attacks as well, though not with the same fervor as they’re now blaming President Trump for the Pittsburgh attack and mail bomber.

It makes no logical sense to pin the machinations of clearly insane men on a President. There are disturbed individuals in our country who will do disturbing things. Nothing a President says or does can change that. No, President Obama wasn’t the great healer. If anything, his policies which led to economic challenges and lost jobs contributed more to the hatred that is rampant in our nation than President Trump’s rhetoric.

We knew what we were getting going in. Nobody expected President Trump to be the eloquent, soothing voice of reason. Mainstream media seems to think that’s what we need, but here’s the thing. What President Trump lacks in his communication skills, he makes up for with his policies. What President Obama lacked in making policies, he tried to make up for it with his words. This more than anything else is why mainstream media cannot understand President Trump’s popularity. They deal in words, and despite President Trump’s claims, it was President Obama who had “the best words.”

Mainstream media preferred to be fed soothing bulls–t from President Obama than sound policies from President Trump.

That all brings us to where we are today. The incessant chanting by mainstream media that President Trump is dividing us is precisely the action that is dividing us. They have become the truest form of division within our country, and it’s by design. Perhaps they don’t even realize it. Perhaps they truly believe their divisiveness is somehow going to heal us. I doubt it. I think they know exactly what they’re doing. They’re pulling from the propaganda playbook and using journalistic doublespeak to convince weak-minded people that their attacks are the solution, not the cause of all the division.

I am not a Trump supporter. I approve of many of his actions and pieces of his agenda, but I have no problem denouncing poor decisions. I agree that his method for handling many situations leaves much to be desired. I think he’s a narcissist who takes as much credit for himself as possible while deflecting all blame. That’s what we signed up for when we nominated him and eventually elected him. Thank God he didn’t lose to Hillary Clinton. I wish it had been someone else to beat her, but I’ll also admit there have been many pleasant surprises throughout his first two years.

It’s important to understand this because I’m not simply attacking the media from a partisan perspective. I’m not in the GOP or Trump “tribe” that sits around pretending everything he does is golden. Most of his tariffs are terrible, leftist moves that we would see if Bernie Sanders was President. His personnel moves in the White House have been comical. And, as mainstream media likes to trumpet constantly, I am not a fan of his choice of words in nearly any situation. I laughed out loud along with most of the United Nations when he felt it appropriate to toot his horn and claim he’s had more accomplishments than just about any president in American history.

What I will never do is assign blame to the President for every negative event that happens in America. It isn’t just irresponsible journalism. It’s irresponsible citizenship. Americans look to the media to help us decipher the world. We need the events reported to us and in many situations we need them interpreted for us. Mainstream media has a responsibility to help Americans understand the events that affect us. They are failing miserably in that regard because they’re playing partisan, anti-Trump games.

I will never promote any measures that stifle the press. I also recognize the ways the press is failing America. Many of them are actually harming America. Where does that leave us?

It’s up to the people. It’s up to you, me, and everyone we influence to step up and tell them we will not listen to their lies any longer. They are trying to be leftist heroes who are willing to abandon their principles for the sake of the progressive cause. We need to stop rewarding them for their idiocy.

Don’t buy their print publications. Don’t watch their television networks. Don’t go to their websites. Most things covered by CNN, NY Times, and Washington Post can be found on WSJ, Fox News, Red State, Conservative Review, National Review, or any of a dozen decent right-leaning media outlets. If you see a story that needs covering, send it to us. We’ll get it covered.

We will no longer be linking to leftist mainstream media outlets. We’ll find other sources. Our role will continue to be to share the news with a conservative understanding of what it all means. In performing that role, we will not be linking out to those outlets as we’ve done in the past.

Mainstream media seems willing to burn it all down if it means they can say “told you so” if President Trump fails. They’re willing to lie, cover up, and manipulate us all just to prove their point. It’s time for the people, not politicians, to tell them to stop.