Fox News Flash top headlines for December 23
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
Media Angle is a column offering perspectives on the media landscape from the newsmakers themselves.
Kyle Kashuv feels he would be a darling of the liberal press if he were an anti-gun activist. Instead, he says, he has experienced media bias firsthand because he insists on standing up for what he believes.
"The media has failed at their fundamental responsibility: being truthful," Kashuv tells Fox News. "Journalists are no longer journalists, they’re progressive activists."
Kashuv became nationally known following the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 of his classmates were killed. While many survivors emerged as anti-gun advocates, Kashuv defended the Second Amendment at every turn and helped push Congress to pass bipartisan national school safety legislation.
Kyle Kashuv launched a podcast this week where he plans to take on "leftist insanity" with candid conversations about media bias, Big Tech censorship and anything else the 19-year-old thinks is interesting, hypocritical or both.
Kashuv, now 19, has since become an outspoken conservative advocate on Twitter, often poking fun at liberals and mocking mainstream media. He has become fast friends with everyone from "Rubin Report" namesake Dave Rubin to various GOP influencers and is a popular figure among young conservatives in the D.C.-area social scene. He's even landed an internship at the White House.
PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR KYLE KASHUV EMERGES AS CONSERVATIVE ROLE MODEL, SECOND AMENDMENT CHAMPION
Kashuv said he has received death threats, was mistreated by teachers and has been the subject of endless criticism on social media after coming out as a conservative. He has also emerged as a polarizing figure who has been a victim of "cancel culture" and is often vilified by the left.
Now Kashuv has used his unique experiences navigating the media to produce a new podcast, "The Kyle Kashuv Show," where he plans to speak with interesting people whether he agrees with them or not.
In an interview with Fox News' Media Angle, Kashuv discussed media bias, what he learned from his interactions with news outlets after the shooting at his high school and what he'd like to add to the conversation as a young conservative.
Media Angle: Why do you feel that Americans don’t trust the media?
Kashuv: The media has failed at their fundamental responsibility: being truthful. Repeatedly, they have blatantly lied and been proven wrong -- from Russia "collusion" to their Election Eve Hunter Biden cover-up. Their role should be to hold both sides accountable. Instead, the media is a protective shield of the Democratic Party. Journalists are no longer journalists, they’re progressive activists. You can’t fault the American people for having record-low trust in the media. When you set your credibility on fire and traffic in conspiracy theories, it’s no surprise that the people don’t trust you.
MA: Do you think you’ve been treated fairly by the press since emerging as a public figure after the Parkland tragedy?
Kashuv: If I were an anti-gun activist, the media would love me. But, because I was willing to stand up for what I believe in, I never received fawning media coverage from CNN or MSNBC; and that’s fine ... I care about results. I helped pass the Stop School Violence Act, which provides millions in school safety funding, and FIX NICS which forced the government to do its job with the gun background check program. Helping get these bills passed matters more to me than puff pieces. You should be able to send your kids to school and have them come home. That’s what matters.
Kyle Kashuv with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
MA: What advice would you give to a young conservative who is afraid to admit their political views because they’re surrounded by liberal classmates?
Kashuv: Every young conservative in America has had their share of demonization. You’ve nothing got to be ashamed of for loving this country. Your gender studies professor doesn’t make it seem like it’s the case, but half of the country is conservative. Speak your mind.
Kyle Kashuv defended the Second Amendment after surviving a deadly school shooting. (Fox News)
MA: Many conservatives feel Twitter has a bias against conservatives, but it has also allowed activists such as yourself to have a platform. That said, do you think Twitter is good for America and what can Big Tech do to lose the reputation that it favors liberals?
Kashuv: It is undeniable that Twitter is systematically and nefariously biased against conservatives, which we see [in everything] from shadow-banning to its blatant censorship of conservative news. The first thing Twitter and Big Tech need to do is stop the DNC-to-Twitter pipeline. We see the consequences firsthand with Kamala Harris staffers [who go from] calling to ban President Trump from the platform [to] now working at the highest ranks of Twitter’s staff. The anti-conservative censorship will only get worse.
MA: Everyone seems to have a podcast these days, so what makes yours stand out in such a crowded space?
Kashuv: I’m entirely independent and unscripted in what topics I choose to discuss [and] who I talk to. I understand and know the political awakening and journey young conservatives experience, how we think, and what interests us.
In large part, the mainstream media has become factory-processed, focus-grouped nonsense, and is more concerned with accumulating likes on Twitter than in doing any meaningful journalism. Journalism has descended into clickbait with the sole purpose of generating revenue through exaggeration and outright fabrications. The result is pathetic fact-free reporting and viewers leaving in droves to independent media that treats them like adults.
On the show, I am going to have any guests I find interesting, conservative or not. I think we’re seeing a political realignment right now, especially during the last eight months of the lockdown. Everyday people are fed up with the arbitrary, nonsensical lockdown restrictions that are destroying the country and millions of livelihoods and businesses, and rightful indignations. The government forced them to shut down their way to make a living, wouldn’t tell them when they could return to work, what precautions they could take to remain open, with relatively no financial assistance. People are angry, and rightfully so. You’ll be arrested if you walk outside in Los Angeles unless you’re filming a new TV show in Hollywood. You’re not allowed to see your family for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but Governor Gavin Newsom throws a lavish dinner for dozens of his friends -- and we’re just supposed to accept that. Highlighting these hypocrites is exactly what I’ll be doing on my show.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
MA: What have you learned about media from [Dave] Rubin, who has taken you under his wing?
Kashuv: I learned what it takes to operate a successful media company without losing authenticity [as well as] creating in the age of sudden arbitrary YouTube censorship. I learned more about interviewing while working at the "Rubin Report" than any clickbait hack with a Masters in journalism.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox